Winter in Florida means citrus…jacked up citrus. It’s the season for heavy with juice, dimple skinned, brilliantly colored oranges, lemons, limes and kumquats all begging to be juiced, baked or eaten out of hand. I had a hankering for a crunchy dunking cookie and this is the end result. I debated whether to drizzle a little icing or dark chocolate over the tops, both go so well with orange, but I opted for neither and went for a more European, unadorned cookie. And healthful. No white flour allowed today. In working with the recipe I used pecans in some batches and walnuts in others. Both are excellent but only if toasted prior to baking otherwise the nuts are bland and lost in the biscotti. It’s a simple recipe and easy.
As I’ve written in other posts, I strongly, strongly suggest using parchment paper to line your baking sheet. It can be found at the grocery store but the paper is in a roll like tin foil or wax paper which makes it tricky to work with. The ends of the paper curl imitating the roll in the box. Flat sheets are found in many food warehouses and are much, much cheaper. Leave them to cool completely before storing them and the cookies will remain crisp. Dunk in a cup of coffee, hot tea or a glass of milk for a satisfying treat.
100% Whole Wheat, Orange, Nut and Olive Oil Biscotti
- 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour + extra to shape the dough
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt, a pinch
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons grated orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange liqueur, optional
- 2 teaspoons orange oil or extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups chopped, toasted walnuts or pecans
- Pre-heat oven to 300°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt until completely combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standup mixer add the eggs and, with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs until broken up.
- To the eggs add the sugar and olive oil and mix until well combined.
- Add to the egg mixture the orange zest, liqueur if using, orange oil or extract, vanilla and mix until completely combined and the orange zest is evenly mixed through and not in clumps.
- Add the flour mixture and nuts to the egg mixture and slowly beat until all ingredients are well mixed and there are no wet spots on the bottom of the bowl. The dough will be heavy and sticky.
- Sprinkle flour on the counter and on your hands, divide the dough in half and roll each half into logs measuring about 14″X3″X1″.
- Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving 2 inches between the logs.
- Bake for 30 minutes then remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes.
- Move one log to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut each log diagonally into 1/4 inch cookies. Place cut cookies back on baking sheet cut side up. Slice the second log in the same manner.
- Return baking sheet to the oven and bake 30 minutes, turning over cookies after 15 minutes of baking.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before storing.
The Irreverent Kitchen 
Love thos post, the recipe sounds amazing!