Orange and Vanilla Scented Biscotti with Coconut and White Chocolate
Orange and vanilla scented biscotti cookies dipped in white chocolate and topped with coconut. A beautiful and delicious cookie perfect for any occasion.
Servings: 2 dozen
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 vanilla bean about 5 inches, see note
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened 1 stick
- 1 orange, zested
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice from the zested orange
- 2 eggs
- 265 grams all purpose flour 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the Topping
- 8 oz white chocolate melting chips
- 1 cup shredded dried coconut your choice for sweetened or unsweetened
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Heat oven to 325°. Once at temperature, toast the nuts on your baking pan for about 5 minutes, or until just lightly golden. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, remove vanilla seeds by making a slit down the length of your vanilla bean. Scrape out the seeds with the dull backside of the knife. Add vanilla bean seeds to a large bowl with the sugar. Add orange zest to bowl. Mix together by hand, rubbing your fingers together through the mixture. Mix for at least three minutes, or until orange and vanilla are well distributed and sugar is tinted orange. The mixture will be very fragrant.
- Next, cream the butter and sugar mixture with an electric hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy, at least three minutes. Next beat in your orange juice and eggs until well combined.
- In a separate bowl whisk together your flour and baking powder. Add the dry mixture to the wet in two parts. Dough will be fairly sticky. Fold in your toasted almond slices. Divide dough in half.
- On a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or silicone baking mat, form two logs with the dough, about 2 inches wide, 12 inches long and 1/2 inch tall. Space the logs out with at least two inches between them.
- Bake your logs for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Transfer your logs one at a time carefully to a cutting board and slice them with a serrated knife on a 45° angle. Return slices to your baking sheet with one cut side down. Bake for about 14 minutes, flipping them half way so each side is toasted and biscotti are dry. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about an hour, they will continue to crisp as they cool.
For the Topping
- Melt your white chocolate according to package directions until just melted. The chocolate should be fairly thick. If needed transfer to wide and shallow bowl
- Lightly tap each biscotti as you work with it to remove excess crumbs. Dip the top of each biscotti into the chocolate. Over a plate, sprinkle coconut onto the top of the biscotti, pressing lightly if needed to adhere the coconut to the chocolate. Set back on the wire rack, bottom down, to set chocolate. Repeat for each biscotti.
Notes
I have not tested this, but in theory it it is possible to replace the vanilla bean with about a tablespoon of vanilla extract. Add it later on, along with the orange juice to the creamed butter mixture. Add two more teaspoons each flour and sugar to compensate for the liquid.