Bake with Maria Recipe - Cantuccini Cookies

Biscotti are Italian baked cookies that are normally cooked twice in the oven to create a crisp crunchy texture. This Cantuccini recipe is a recipe that has previously been made on the Bake with Maria Christmas course, a perfect gift for the foodies in your life. When I visited the bakery for a Christmas Gift event, they gave me this delicious recipe to try. It is simple and easy and I think the nuts and chocolate chips could always be replaced with anything of your choosing. If I were to make them again, I would try chocolate and cranberry or even mixed peel.


Ingredients
100g plain flour
65g sugar
35g pistachio nuts
40g dark chocolate chips
1 egg
1 tsp orange zest
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method
1. Line a baking tray with baking paper (you can use the silicone kind) and preheat oven to 190 degrees.

2. Sift flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl. Carefully mix in the sugar, orange zest, pistachios and chocolate. Make a well in the centre of these dry ingredients and add 1 egg. With a small fork 'gather' up the dry ingredients to form a soft dough - which you can just handle. If too soft to shape add a little more flour and if too stiff a little milk.

3. Shape into 1 long 'sausage shape' on the baking tray - about 4cm wide and a little over finger thickness deep. Brush all over with an egg wash.

4. Bake for 15 minutes at 190 degrees until golden brown.

5. Take out of oven and while still on baking tray cut each log diagonally into 1 -2 cm slices to get the classic cantuccini shape. Spread the biscuits out and put back in oven to 'dry' for about 10 minutes until golden brown.

Visit Bake and Maria for more classes they hold including a bread baking similar to the one they invited me to here.