Biscotto, the perfect travel food?

Biscotti or biscotto is a type of cookie that is usually sweetened with sugar or honey and has nuts and or anise flavors and is considered unique because it is baked twice.

“bis” or “bi” for twice and “cotti” or “coctum” from the latin “cotto” for cooked or baked. It can also be called Cantucci if coming from Tuscany or Biscotti di Prato. However, nowadays the word biscotto in Italy can be used for cookies in general.

Biscotti is essentially a cookie that is shaped like a loaf of bread and baked in the oven. It is then sliced and re-baked in the oven on both cut sides.

For me, the Biscotti is the perfect breakfast indulgence. A Biscotti (or two) with my morning coffee is for me, one of life’s simple pleasures. Growing up my mother always had Biscotti in the house. Aside from the jar that was habitually on the counter for my dad’s morning coffee, my mother also made a special version of biscotti for Christmas. The normal type of Biscotti that my mother made was what I would call a semi-hard biscotti with heavy notes of almond and anise. This is the type that I tend to make and is extremely popular with friends and family. I will share the recipe below. The important thing to keep in mind with this recipe however is because it contains butter and eggs; the shelf life on these Biscotto will be slightly less. Although honestly, this has never been a problem in our home since they do not tend to stay around too long.

I have read that biscotti originated with the roman legions and was used as travel food. For biscotti to be used in this way there were a few ingredients in today’s variants that would have been left out to last longer periods of time. Biscotti was then again popularized by Genoese sailors bringing them on their long journeys on the maritime silk roads to sustain them. It then had its renaissance in Tuscany as a sweet cookie to be served with sweet wine (vin santo) after dinner.

Because the biscotto was cooked twice it dried out the bread completely making it a food item that could last for quite a while without becoming rancid or stale. In its original form, it was probably not leavened and tasted much different than what would become popularized in the city of Prato in Tuscany. That is why the Roman soldiers and then the Genovese sailors found it so useful. It could last on long journeys as the roman empire moved further and further afield or centuries later when sailors plied their trade along the maritime silk road. The almonds used in the recipe probably added much-needed nutritional content.

Anise and Almond Biscotto Recipe

• Preheat oven to 350F or 180c
• Ingredients:
• 1 cup (227 grams) softened butter
• 2 cups (440 grams) of white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 ½ cups (610 grams) all-purpose unbleached flour
• 4 tsp (18 grams) baking powder
• ¾ tsp (2 grams) salt
• 1/3 cup (78 ml) of brandy
• 1 ½ tsp (7 ml) of anise extract or almond extract
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups (180 gm) raw unsalted almonds
• 2 Tbl (30 grams) anise seed (optional)

Directions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil
2. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, add the softened butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
3. In a small bowl add Brandy, almond or anise extract, and vanilla extract.
4. In a medium-sized bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients into the large mixing bowl with the butter, sugar, egg mixture. Make sure to end each time on wet ingredients to help keep dry ingredients in the bowl. Mixing to combine each time.
6. Once all is combined fold in almonds and anise seeds if using
7. Using a large spoon or kitchen spoon drop a spoonsful of batter onto prepared cookie tray. Making 2 long strips on the sheet. (Depending on the sheet size they may run together slightly while initially baking. Going forward you can lay out on additional tray if desired) Using a wet hand smooth out the logs on the tray. Try to make roughly the same size all the way along and do not leave obvious breaks from the different spoonsful. This can cause the cookie to crack while baking and it becomes difficult to cut into nice cookies later.
8. Place in preheated oven on the middle rack for 30 to 35 minutes until golden-brown on top.
9. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Reduce the oven temp to 300f or 150c. When cool enough to the touch to handle. Cut logs on a diagonal to desired cookie thickness. I recommend about ¾ of an inch or about 2 cm. place slices back on cookie sheet one cut side down.
10. Bake about 10 to 15 minutes then turn over all cookies to the other cut side and return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes. Cookies are done when they are dry and slightly brown. Remove and place on a rack to cool.