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Cookies with Nuts
Biscotti di Prato
Biscotti di Prato (Original Tuscan-style almond biscotti, made without fat, with roasted almonds, sugar and eggs)
Originated from: Prato, Tuscany, Italy
Occasion: Any time & special times
Contributed by: Adapted from "La Tavola Italiana" by Tom Maresca and Diane Darrow (1988); Wikipedia notes

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Ingredients

2 ounces whole almonds without skin, roasted to a light golden color
2 ounces chopped almonds without skin, roasted to a light golden color
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs

Equipment needed
2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper



Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together.

In a separate bowl beat eggs.

Mix the beaten eggs with the flour mixture.

Add the lightly roasted almonds (but the whole almonds and the chopped ones) and work into a firm dough, kneading briefly.

Divide the dough into 4 portions.

Flour your hands and shape each portion of dough into a log about 15 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

Place two logs, well separated, on each baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake until very lightly browned and firm to the touch -- about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven; place the logs on a cutting board and slice each one diagonally into cookies about 1/2 inch thick.

Place the slices on baking sheets lined with fresh parchment paper.

Return them to the oven until the biscotti are very firm and crisp -- about 12 to 18 minutes.

Remove and cool.

Store in an appropriate tin container.


Notes

The recipe in this entry was adapted from the cookbook, "La Tavola Italiana" by Tom Maresca and Diane Darrow (New York: W. Morrow, 1988). The cookbook can be borrowed for free from the on-line library, www.openlibrary.org.... "Biscotti di Prato" is probably The recipe on which the now famous North American recipes for biscotti are based. These recipes may not have been necessarily inspired by Maresca's and Darrow's cookbook but they certainly were inspired by the "Biscotti di Prato" recipes abundant in many Italian cookbooks that were published in Tuscany and elsewhere.... The recipe in "La Tavola Italiana" uses a lot of sugar -- 2 cups (to 2 1/2 cups flour). I myself have never seen so much sugar used in a biscotti recipe, but as this recipe belongs to this particular book, I had to retain its spirit. Personal comments: Mary Melfi.............. The following text was taken from the Italian Wikipedia (Machine Google translation): Biscotti di Prato From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.... Place of origin Italy region of Tuscany Production area Prato, Florence , Siena Recognition P.A.T. The almond biscuits or nooks, also called Prato biscuits , confectionery are particularly proud of Tuscany. They are almond biscuits, made ​​by cutting the loaf of dough into slices still hot. They are part of the most typical dessert of traditional Tuscan cuisine , especially coupled to Vin Santo. Are the traditional form of elongated, obtained by the diagonal cut of the strand of dough after baking. The cantuccino has an upper surface with golden internal structure characterized by a high presence of shelled almonds. The length can vary but is normally contained within the 10 centimeters. The name comes from " singing ", ie angle, or " cantellus " in Latin piece or slice of bread. The dough is made of flour , sugar, eggs , almonds, pine nuts (tracks). Almonds are neither roasted or blanched . Traditionally Cantuccini are sold together with another sweet specialty of Tuscany, the brutti boni. Although commonly used, "Biscotti di Prato" actually indicate other products or imitations variants, which differ from the traditional recipe in some fundamental points as the absence of yeasts, acids (to make them less dry) and flavorings. History An official consecration of almond biscuits found in the dictionary of the Academy of bran which in 1691 gave the following definition: "biscuit slices, of fine flour , sugar and egg white." The most famous nooks of the time were produced in Pisa, while the almonds became part of the ingredients only in some variants, such as " biscottelli " the era of Catherine de ' Medici to rise to characteristic element from the second half of nineteenth century. The first documented recipe for this biscotti is a manuscript , preserved in the State of Prato, Amadio Baldanzi, a scholar of the eighteenth century Prato. In this document, the cookies are called to Genoa. In the nineteenth century, Antonio Mattei, Prato pastry chef, I devised a recipe which later became classic, with which he received numerous awards at trade fairs in Italy and abroad, including a special mention at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867 . The workshop "Tile" ( popular name of biscottaio ) still exists today in Prato and is considered the custodian of the tradition of nooks. Original Italian text: Biscotti di Prato Da Wikipedia, l'enciclopedia libera. Cantuccini I cantuccini alle mandorle I cantuccini alle mandorle Origini Luogo d'origine Italia Italia Regione Toscana Zona di produzione Prato, Firenze, Siena Dettagli Categoria dolce Riconoscimento P.A.T. Settore Pasticceria I cantuccini o cantucci, chiamati anche biscotti di Prato, sono uno dei maggiori vanti dolciari della Toscana. Sono biscotti secchi alle mandorle, ottenuti tagliando a fette il filoncino di pasta ancora caldo. Fanno parte dei più tipici dessert della tradizione culinaria toscana, soprattutto accoppiati al Vin santo. Sono di forma tradizionale allungata, ottenuta dal taglio in diagonale del filone di impasto dopo la cottura. Il cantuccino presenta una superficie superiore dorata con struttura interna caratterizzata da una presenza elevata di mandorle intere sgusciate. La lunghezza può variare ma è normalmente contenuta entro i 10 centimetri. Il nome deriva da "canto", cioè angolo, o da "cantellus", in latino pezzo o fetta di pane. L'impasto è composto di farina, zucchero, uova, mandorle, pinoli (tracce). Le mandorle non vengono né tostate né spellate. Tradizionalmente i Cantuccini sono venduti accompagnati con un'altra specialità dolciaria Toscana, i Bruttiboni. Sebbene comunemente usato, "Biscotti di Prato" in realtà indicherebbe altri prodotti: le varianti o imitazioni, che si discostano dalla ricetta tradizionale in alcuni punti fondamentali come l'assenza di lieviti, grassi (per renderli meno secchi) e aromi. Storia Una consacrazione ufficiale dei cantuccini si trova nel dizionario dell'Accademia della Crusca che nel 1691 ne diede la seguente definizione: "biscotto a fette, di fior di farina, con zucchero e chiara d'uovo". I cantucci più famosi del tempo erano prodotti a Pisa, mentre le mandorle entrarono a far parte degli ingredienti soltanto in alcune varianti, quali i "biscottelli" dell'epoca di Caterina de' Medici, per assurgere a elemento caratterizzante a partire dalla seconda metà dell'Ottocento. La prima ricetta documentata di questo dolce è un manoscritto, conservato nell'archivio di Stato di Prato, di Amadio Baldanzi, un erudito pratese del XVIII secolo. In questo documento i biscotti vengono detti alla genovese. Nel XIX secolo Antonio Mattei, pasticciere di Prato, ne mise a punto una ricetta divenuta poi classica, con la quale ricevette numerosi premi a fiere campionarie in Italia e all'estero, tra cui una menzione speciale all'esposizione universale di Parigi del 1867. La bottega di "Mattonella" (nome popolare del biscottaio) esiste ancora oggi a Prato ed è considerata la depositaria della tradizione dei cantucci.... Photo: Mary Melfi.

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