If I had to pick my all-time favorite biscuit (no easy feat I know), it would have to be one that was both crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Biscotti, an Italian-born sweet, fits the bill just nicely with its wonderfully thick brittle texture, impeccably designed for hot beverage dipping. Speaking of dipping, I have a fond memory from my childhood of sitting in a chocolate shop in San Giacomo, Italy happily soaking my biscotti in one of the most decadently thick hot chocolates I’ve ever tasted (if you’ve been to Italy, you know the kind). Twice-baked, oh so delicious, and crunchy to boot, biscotti is the perfect accompaniment to any tea/coffee/hot chocolate – it’s the kind of biscuit that will have you dipping morning, noon and night.

Enjoy xx

Low Salicylate Biscotti

Makes 24 biscuits

Equipment

• Baking tray 
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Mixing bowl

Ingredients

500 grams flour

200 grams sugar

120 grams butter (softened)

1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

4 eggs

1/4 tsp citric acid

1/3 cup unsalted roasted cashews (finely chopped)*

1/3 cup white chocolate (finely chopped)

Method

1.) Heat fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius and line baking tray with baking paper

2.) Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Using hands, bring together ingredients until well combined and a dough has formed.

3.) Sprinkle some flour onto the kitchen bench and split dough in two. Roll each half into a 12-inch-long log (about the length of your baking tray).

4.) Place dough logs onto baking tray and flatten slightly using fingertips (about 3/4 inch in thickness). Place tray in oven and bake for 30 minutes.

5.) When ready, remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Once cooled, cut log into 1/2 inch slices before placing back in oven for a further 10 minutes or until golden.

6.) Remove from oven and dust with icing sugar.

*While cashews have historically tested low for salicylates, more recent tests (Malaker et al. 2017) which retested with free and bound salicylates found cashews to be in the high category. Most people tolerate cashews well, while others may be prone to a reaction, in which case, omit from recipe in future if you do find you experience any adverse affects. Can replace cashews with equal amount of white choc chips.