Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole almonds
• 1 cup white sugar*
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 jumbo sized eggs
• 3/4 of a teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 of a teaspoon of almond extract
• zest of 1 large orange (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten for brushing on top of loaves

Process:

1. In a large bowl, hand mix almonds, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and flour.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. Add the vanilla, almond extract and orange zest and whisk until well blended. Add to the flour mixture. Work the batter together with lightly floured hands. The mixture will be sticky, but intact. Keep mixing the batter with your hand, until a dough starts to form. Once the dough is firm, form a ball. Divide the ball into four equal pieces.
3. On a lightly floured surface place one piece of dough, and using your hands, roll into a log shape that is approximately 8 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 3/4 of an inch high. Repeat with remaining three pieces of dough. Make sure to space out your logs in the tray (roughly two inches or more) and brush your beaten egg on top.
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350, or until the tops of the loaves are shiny and deep golden. Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes before slicing. Place a loaf on a cutting board, and using a large serrated knife, slice cookies 3/4 of an inch thick on the diagonal. If the cookie is crumbling, then let it cool a few more minutes. Don’t let it rest too long, however, or they will become too hard to slice. Place slices on their sides back on to the baking sheets; place in the still warm oven with the temperature off and the door closed for 30 (flipping half way at 15 minutes). The longer they stay in the oven, the harder they will become. Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an air-tight container, preferably a tin, which helps keep them crisp. 

• Stored properly, biscotti will last up to a month
• This batch will yield roughly 25 pieces.