Make Traditional Italian and American Biscotti

Reader Contribution by Wendy Akin
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Watching the talented bakers on the Great British Baking Show become frustrated trying to make biscotti, I was yelling at the TV: Water! Water! First, they were struggling with a sticky mess, then their biscotti were crumbling under the knife. Making perfect biscotti is easy if you know the water tricks.

I set a day to make several kinds to stock up. Biscotti keep for months, so bake some up now for lovely Christmas and hostess gifts. I stash them in the freezer so when I give them, they taste fresh from the oven.

Biscotti can be either the traditional Italian type which is very crunchy and intended for dunking in coffee, tea, or wine. Or they can be the softer American type, eaten like any cookie. The Italian type keeps longer and has no butter, so they are much lower calorie and very low fat. If you prefer, you can substitute white whole wheat flour in these recipes.

First, choose your flavors. Biscotti can be sweet, not-so-sweet, chocolate or not, and biscotti can be savory. Choose one or more biscotti recipes. Because all the equipment is the same, I generally make at least two kinds at a time. It’s hard to choose.

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