Nothing can beat a classic, and Sweet Vanilla Biscotti is the epitome of classic! Serve this cookie with a piping hot latte; just perfect for dunking on a cold, wintery afternoon!
Sometimes, you just need to have something simple. There’s a time and a place for fancy desserts. And, most certainly, there’s a time and place for a homemade treat like this Sweet Vanilla Biscotti. If you’re much like me, the best time to enjoy a biscotti is on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
LET ME PAINT THE SCENE FOR YOU!
This is how I imagine it. My daughter is out with her friends or in her room working on a school assignment. And, John.e is out in the backyard, puttering around like he usually does. The cats are sleeping on the couch. And, the house is fully decorated for Christmas. It might be lightly snowing outside, but it’s so warm and cozy inside.
We have an old fashioned radio in our kitchen that I like to use when I’m cooking and baking. But, right now, it’s tuned to a Christmas music station. I can hear Peggy Lee (love her!) singing about a Christmas Carousel. I’ve just made a fresh pot of coffee and I’m going to take a moment to sit down to take it all in.
From where I’m sitting, I can see two of our four Christmas trees. I don’t usually turn the Christmas lights on until later in the evening, but they’ve been on all day today. Between sips of my coffee and bites of my biscotti, I’m working feverishly on my latest cross stitch project in hopes that I can finish it before Christmas is over.
CHRISTMASTIME CAN BE HECTIC; TREAT YOURSELF TO SOME DOWNTIME!
There – have I painted a picture worthy of how this Sweet Vanilla Biscotti should be eaten? I’m not sure about everyone else, but I love those stolen moments of complete solitude. I have a very active mind and I can’t stand being idle for too long, so I’ll enjoy it for bit. Soon, I’ll get up and fix a decoration, fluff a pillow, or paint an accent wall!
If you decide to bake a batch of these biscotti, I hope you take a moment for yourself as well. Sit back and relax. In my opinion, anyone who spends time in the kitchen preparing treats for friends and family, deserves a little bit of downtime.
Cooking and baking every day for a family is not easy work. But, we do it because we love it! Or, at least I do! Now, while you go bake, I’m going to package what is left of these biscotti and give them to a neighbour. After all, isn’t that Christmas is all about? Enjoy, Dear Reader!
STORING AND FREEZING
These biscotti will last in the freezer for three months. Be sure you have a good container with a tight seal. Whenever I’m freezing cookies, I always double up on the seal action. Before I place the lid on, I always drape a sheet of plastic wrap on top. Then I push the lid on. I just feel that the lid fits more tightly. Any little thing I can do to keep the frost out, I’m going to do it! I like to use tins like this.
Like I always say, if you freeze any baked goods, remove only the amount you want when you decide to thaw them. Fetch the container from the freezer and remove only what you need. Put the lid back on and get the container back in the fridge.
To properly thaw baked goods, place them on a plate or a wire cooling rack. Don’t pile them. Spread them out and give them some space. Let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. They will taste fresh and perfect every single time!
CONCLUSION:
Like I said at the beginning, I’ll be posting 12 biscotti recipes in this series on back-to-back days. If you can’t wait, you can certainly refer back to a series from previous years. Just click on the collection photos below. Cheers!
Sweet Vanilla Biscotti
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup coarse sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and baking powder until well combined and creamy.
- Next, add the eggs and beat them into the batter until well mixed.
- Now, add the flour and beat in until just combined. The dough will be sticky.
- Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet and form into a log. (Dust your hands with flour; dough is a bit sticky!)
- Form log into a rectangle shape that is roughly 4" wide and 12" long.
- Sprinkle the top of the log with the coarse sanding sugar. Press very gently on the sugar to make sure it sticks to the dough.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a wire cooling rack so that air can circulate around the baking sheet. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, reduce the heat to 325°F.
- Using the parchment paper, slide the log onto a large cutting board. Slice into 3/4" slices across the width of the log.
- Place slices back onto baking sheet which has been lined with more parchment paper. Slices are cut side down. Bake for 12 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Carefully turn the cookies over and bake for another 12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
- Package biscotti for gift-giving or pile into a food-safe container. Leave at room temperature, or freeze until needed for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Angela says
The biscotti are very tender and delicate. Crumb texture is very good. I cooked them an extra 12 minutes and then dried them with the convection fan at 250 F. for 15 minutes. I used a little less sugar and added toasted hazelnuts. A very easy recipe to use with good success.
Angela says
I made these the other day just to sample them as I used to have these as I child many years ago.
I did adjust the amount of eggs as I am not much of an egg person. They still turned out great and will be doing another batch but next time with dates.
Bruna V Palmer says
Hi. New to your recipes. Am looking to make this recipe (Sweet Vanilla Biscotti). The salt – is this regular table salt? Which I don’t have any of. I use Kosher salt and sea salt.
Thanks
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Bruna – welcome! I only ever use sea salt in all of my recipes, unless otherwise specified.
Anne says
I made a couple of your biscotti recipes. I have been making for years,but don’t know why my biscotti crack on top which causes them to break when cutting them? I cool them on wire rack, for 7 mins.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Anne – the main reason biscotti cracks is that it is cooling too fast once you take it out of the oven. Is your kitchen on the cool side? Try covering the biscotti with a clean kitchen towel and set the baking sheet on to the top of your oven. This will slow down the cooling down time and should help to eliminate cracks.
Joanne Limoges says
Where did you get the little bags so you can give to neighbors? I was thinking of doing Biscotti this year.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
I don’t remember exactly where I got them, but I have seen them at Michaels and also on Amazon.
Karen Wares says
Very yummy. I added cranberries and white chocolate chip.
michele riemersma says
Easy and great tasting! Thank you so much.