Persistent cravings – Anise almond biscotti

Anise. For weeks I’ve been craving anise. Don’t ask why, I don’t really know myself. Yes, we’re getting closer to Christmas, but spontaneously I have cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, vanilla, allspice in my mind when thinking about Christmas, not anise first of all. Actually, for most of my life I hated the whole flavour spectrum of anise, liquorice, fennel!

Anyhow, this craving persisted! Every now and then I browsed Pinterest for things to bake or cook. Nothing really got me, was what I had in mind and couldn’t name. Springerle was an option that came closer to my idea, but wasn’t exactly what I wanted… And then,  somehow, after weeks it was clear: Biscotti. The rest was a breeze!

Already after baking the biscotti the first time the kitchen smelled so tempting, almond flavour melting into anise flavour building a match made in heaven. And after the second bake and a (very) little cooling time I finally could bite into it, dip it into my espresso. Perfect moment!

Anise almond biscotti (makes about 60)

ingredients
100g almonds, 250 g flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon anise, pinch of salt, 2 eggs, 100g sugar + additional flour for dusting

preparation
Preheat oven to 180° C.
Roughly chop almonds. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix with flour, baking powder, anise and salt. In a larger bowl whisk eggs and sugar until pale. Add dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
On a flour dusted working surface divide dough into four equal parts and roll out each one into a 25 cm long log. Transfer to baking tray laid out with baking paper and bake for 30 minutes. Take off the oven andlet cool out for 10 minutes.  Carefully transfer warm logs to a cutting board and cut diagonally into finger-thick slices. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake for another 15 minutes. Take off the biscotti and let them fully cool out on a rack. Transfer to an airtight container.