Five-Spice Biscotti

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons five-spice powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 1/3 cups unbleached white flour (or a little more)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups whole almonds

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F & grease two baking sheets.

2. 2

   In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar & spices, then add melted butter & stir well.

3. 3

   In another bowl, mix together 3 1/3 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & almonds.

4. 4

   Add half of this flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring well with a wooden spoon.

5. 5

   Add 2nd half of flour mixture & stir until a smooth dough forms, adding a tablespoon or two of flour if the dough seems too tacky. With floured hands, you should be able to form a small piece of dough into a ball.

6. 6

   Form half of the dough into a large log & place it on one of the greased baking sheets, then flatten the log until it is 5-6 inches wide & 10 inches long. Do the same with the 2nd half of the dough, using the second baking sheet.

7. 7

   Bake the logs for 35 minutes, until logs are firm but give slightly when pressed with a finger.

8. 8

   Remove baking sheets from the oven & reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

9. 9

   While logs are still warm, use a large spatula to carefully transfer them to a cutting board, & cut them crosswise on a slight diagonal, into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

10. 10

    Lay the cookies on their sides on the baking sheets & bake them 15 minutes more.

11. 11

    Remove from the oven & let cookies cool on a wire rack.

12. 12

    Store in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks.