I attended a Char-I-Tea this weekend with one of my Ladies’ groups. It was a festive and fun event for a worthy cause. The tables were decorated for the Holidays, and we enjoyed food items appropriate for a high tea.
We had different types of finger sandwiches, tea biscuits, cookies, and other delicious items. One of my contributions was this Lavender and Orange Biscotti made with Spelt flour.
Biscotti means twice-baked. This biscotti is flavored with fresh lavender and orange peel and a generous amount of toasted almonds. The toasted almonds give the cookies a beautiful golden color and a nutty flavor.
I used lavender from my herb garden. It grows right next to the rosemary so it almost smells like rosemary instead of lavender. In fact, one of the ladies thought it was rosemary. I’m thinking a savory biscotti with rosemary would taste great. Maybe next time…
Editor’s note 11.12.21: I’ve made this biscotti several times over the years for different occasions. The original version was made with all white spelt flour, but I’ve also made it with regular all-purpose flour and incorporated a portion of sifted home-milled whole grain einkorn or whole grain spelt flour.
I like the flavor and texture of this biscotti. You can definitely taste the lavender and almonds. If you want to boost the orange flavor, you could add more orange zest or a little freshly squeezed orange juice.
Lavender and Orange Spelt Biscotti
Adapted from: Biscotti with Lavender and Orange on MyRecipes.com
Makes: About 15 –20 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh lavender
- 1 Tbsp. (1 medium orange) freshly grated orange peel, more if desired
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups white Spelt flour (or 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
- 2 Tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 Tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds (toasted in pan on stovetop)
- 1 Tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and lightly grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2) Add the butter, sugar, chopped lavender and orange rind in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at medium speed until the ingredients are well blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and beat until blended.
3) Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, then gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and beat until blended. Stir in the almonds and vanilla.
4) Shape the dough into a 10-inch log and place on the greased baking sheet. You can flour your hands if you like, but I used wet fingers for this part.
Flatten the log to 1-inch thickness.
5) Bake the log at 325 degrees F. for 28 minutes. Remove the log to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
6) Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Cut the log diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices using a a metal bench scraper or serrated knife. If using a serrated knife, use a gentle sawing motion when slicing the biscotti.
7) Place the slices on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake them at 300 degrees F. for 9 minutes. Turn the biscotti over and bake for 12 minutes more. Remove the biscotti to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container and enjoy with your favorite coffee or tea.
This biscotti was well received at the event. Several ladies commented on it and asked if I was the one who had made it. They know me as the “bread lady.” Some of them even asked to take some home. I took that as a good sign.
Happy Baking!
Cathy
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