A Latte & GF Biscotti

There's nothing quite like the aroma of a good coffee house to lure me in. I love the smell of the beans and the sound of the espresso machine steaming up a large cap of foam. Not all coffee houses are the same; I've had good and bad. When you've had a bad cup it's not even worth drinking. If the pull is too long, the espresso will burn, leaving a very bitter aftertaste. If the milk is foamed too long, it will scald, producing another drink for the drain.

I decided to try my hand at making biscotti today. It turned out quite delicious. The secret to making biscotti is in the double baking. The word biscotti literally means double baked. The first entry in the oven bakes for approximately 25 minutes, then it cools for 10 minutes before it returns for the final baking, which produces a very crunchy bar for dipping into your latte or whatever style of coffee you prefer. This recipe I created is very easy; just like making a batch of cookies.

Orange-Cranberry Almond Biscotti Dipped in White Chocolate

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract

2 cups of my favorite gluten free baking mix (recipe in GF flour blends) or you may use other GF mix

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cups white chocolate chips + 1 extra cup for melting & dipping

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Orange peel from 1 large organic orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and extract. 

Add GF flour mix, baking powder, salt and gently blend.

 Add slivered almonds, 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and the orange peel. Blend until just combined. 

Spray an 8x12" glass baking dish and pour mixture into it, spreading evenly. 

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let stand for ten minutes before slicing.

Slice 1 to 1 1/2" rows lengthwise and cut evenly three ways forming 18 bars.

Place parchment paper onto a cookie sheet and place each bar onto its side. Return to oven and bake on one side for five minutes, flip to other side of bar and cook five minutes longer.

In a double boiler pan, place the remaining 1 cup of white chocolate in the upper pan and melt.

Dip the bottom of each piece of biscotti into the white chocolate and place back on the parchment paper for cooling. Allow white chocolate to completely harden before serving. Store in an air-tight container.