Cinnamon Toasted Almond Biscotti.

I hope everyone who celebrated Easter had as lovely a holiday as I did!  Although last week's weather here certainly didn't feel like spring, my family and I began our Easter preparations anyway, hard-boiling and dyeing eggs, baking Easter egg bread, and buying Wardynski sausage for Sunday brunch.

 

Somehow it slipped my mind to take photos of our feast of brown sugar and mustard-glazed spiral sliced ham, roasted asparagus, smashed red potatoes and sauteed broccoli and cauliflower with shallots, everything smelled and looked too delicious. I did take pictures of the cutest little Easter baby I know, though, my adorable nephew :) 

Judging by many other blog posts I've read over the past couple of days, I know I'm not the only one who overate on Sunday, but I still wanted to bake yesterday.  The placek was almost gone, and the cupcakes had all been given away (luckily!)  There are still jellybeans in a glass bowl and chocolate bunnies sitting in a basket filled with plastic green grass, but those will last and be a reminder of the holiday.  I wanted to preheat the oven, crack some eggs, measure sugar and flour into bowls, stir things together and smell something baking.  So I made these biscotti.  Nothing indulgent, but enough to satisfy that sweet tooth after dinner. 

The original recipe states 36 as the yield - I must slice my biscotti on the very thin side because I easily had 48 when all was said and done.  No matter how thick you slice them, the scent of these baking is incredible, as is anything with cinnamon.  They're absolutely perfect with coffee or tea and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do :)

Cinnamon Toasted Almond Biscotti

3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and extracts and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, cinnamon, baking soda and salt until well mixed.  Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until a dough forms.  Divide the dough in half and knead slightly until it comes together into a soft dough, forming two 12" ropes and place them side by side on the parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake until the tops are golden brown and slightly cracked, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let the logs cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board.  Slice into 1/4" to 1/2" thick slices and lay them on the baking sheet and bake in a 325-degree oven for 10 minutes on one side, then 10 minutes on the other side.

Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container for a week.