Matcha and almond biscotti. But first, let’s start at the beginning. And in case you end up completely smitten by the tableware and jar in these pictures, they’re all from Crate and Barrel!
This Crate and Barrel jar looks great anywhere in the house, really.
Originally associated with the Tuscan region of Italy, biscotti essentially came into existence as long-shelf life food for travelers and was carried by the Roman legions. Now, it is a common accompaniment to cappuccino the long shelf life proves to be very helpful in keeping a jarful of these crunchy treats on our countertop.
The word ‘biscotti’ “bis,” which is Latin for ‘twice’, and “coctum” or baked (which became “cotto,” or cooked). These unleavened treats are first baked in the shape of a flat loaf, to cook them. Then, they are cut into slices, laid flat and baked again to completely dry them out and crisp them up.
The original, Tuscan biscotti was speckled with almonds, but today all sorts of nuts and dried fruit adorn biscotti, and sometimes, even chocolate makes an appearance. Of course I had to give it my own spin, and go Nusr-et on it with some culinary grade matcha.
Biscotti also happens to be a healthier alternative to most cookies and biscuits as there is no butter and less sugar in these but will still satiate the desire to have a crunchy snack!
It was pretty straight forward here’s what you need to do to make your own matcha and almond biscotti:
Ingredients:
- 120 grams cake flour
- 45 grams coconut sugar (you can use regular granulated sugar instead if you’d like, and you can increase the sugar by 20 grams if you want it to sweet, because my biscotti was intentionally barely sweet at all)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2-3 Tbs milk
- 1 heaping teaspoon culinary grade matcha
- 1/3 cup almonds
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 180 C
- Whisk the sugar, milk and egg
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and matcha..
- Mix well with a spatula until everything comes together and is fully combined. If the dough is too dry, add a bit more milk.
- Fold in the almonds.
- Shape into a flat log or thick cookie on a parchment-lined baking tray
- Bake at 180 C for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool fully.
- Lower the oven temperature to 160 C.
- Once the log is cooled, use a sharp knife to cut 1 cm thick slices.
- Lay the slices flat onto the baking tray and pop back into the oven for 10 mins. This will completely crisp up the biscotti.
- Enjoy with coffee or a matcha latte. I love these artisan stoneware mugs pictured above, they make me want to drink all the warm beverages.
- Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container on your counter. I recommend this one for function and aesthetics.
