Gluten Free Biscotti

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice (1 1/4 cup, if you like them sweet)
• 1 stick butter, very soft
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons pure extract (almond, lemon, anise, coffee, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon gluten free baking powder
• 3 Tablespoons brandy
• 3 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend or your favorite gluten free all purpose flour with gum(s)
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts and/or cranberries (chopped or whole), a little poppy seed, etc.
• 1 Tablespoon water

Directions

1. Cut 2 strips of parchment paper a little wider than your baking pan and the length of your baking pan, or shorter, if you use the store bought rolls. You may also grease the baking pan if you do not have any parchment paper. However, parchment paper makes it easier to transfer to a cooling rack. Set aside.

2. Atop a silicone mat or other non-skid surface, add a sheet of plastic wrap as long as your baking sheet; set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

4. In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter and sugar; add eggs one at the time while mixer is running on low or medium-low; add water, brandy and extracts and mix until well blended. Do not over mix, as you do not want a lot of air bubbles in the dough.

5. Whisk together well the flour blend and baking powder; add to the butter mixture; and beat until a dough forms.

6. If adding nuts or other add-ins, fold in until evenly distributed. Do this by hand. A dough hook on your mixer does not work well.

7. While the dough is still in the bowl, divide the dough into 2 pieces, and place one atop the plastic wrap.

8. With wet hands, form each piece into a flattened log as long as your cookie sheet, and spread out until it is about 1/2" high. To make them the traditional shape, make the roll higher in the middle and taper off at the sides.

9. Cradle the roll by picking up the right corers with your right fingers and the left corners with your fingers. Place the roll in the plastic wrap onto the cookie sheet. If using, place the parchment paper on top of the roll and invert onto the baking sheet. Repeat with other dough portion. If your cookie sheet is wide enough you may be able to fit both rolls together.

10. Bake for about 30 minutes and slightly golden brown. If your fingers burn when you touch them, they are over baked.

11. Once the first baking cycle is complete, (they will be the texture of cake) remove from oven; lower oven temperature to 300°F; and transfer the rolls to a cooling rack. Parchment paper makes this easy. When the cookies are cool enough to pick up, about 10 minutes, with a long serrated knife, slice each roll, width-wise, or diagonally for longer biscotti, between 1/2 – 3/4" wide. Place each slice, on its side, back onto a parchment lined baking sheet, if using. Bake cookies on middle shelf. Do not try adding a second cookie sheet on a lower rack or they will not brown properly.

12. Bake for an additional 15 minutes (longer if you like them crispy; shorter if you like them soft); turn them over and bake another 15 minutes or until they reach your desired cripsness.

13. Again, allow to cool on a cooling rack.

14. If baking the cookies in the morning, leave the stick of butter out the night before. If you choose to dip a portion of your gluten free biscotti in chocolate, use a high quality chocolate, not morsels. I used one king size Hershey bar and was able to dip 9 biscotti. To melt chocolate, first chop a little thicker than shavings; place in a coffee mug in a small pan of water on high temperature. Once heated, begin to stir until almost all pieces are melted. Remove from stove; dip biscott; set on the edge of a chopping board with a knife placed on top; refrigerate until set.

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