Biscotti or cantucci are a wonderful sweet treat, perfect for dipping in rich black Italian espresso or the Tuscan dessert wine Vin Santo. For this reason, they’re often cooked twice to make them extra crispy.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (356 F). In a large bowl, cream 250g of softened butter with 1 cup brown sugar by beating well until thoroughly combined. Add 3 lightly beaten eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla essence or extract, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, finely chopped zest and juice of 1 orange, 1 cup coarsely chopped chocolate, 1 cup chopped almonds. In a separate bowl, mix 1 teaspoon baking powder with 2 cups plain flour and sift into main mixture. Mix until combined.
Divide the mixture and layer on a greaseproof paper lined baking tray in logs the width of your hand.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until firm but not golden. Remove from oven and slice along each log the width of two fingers. Turn each biscuit on its side to crisp up the middle and return the tray to oven for no more than 10 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack if you like your cantucci particularly crisp.
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