Makes about 7 dozen.
These biscotti are lovely to have on hand to serve with tea, espresso or coffee. They remain fresh refrigerated in a tight-fitting container with wax paper between the layers.
INGREDIENTS
¼ pound hazelnuts
3/4 pound walnuts
3 cups sifted unbleached all –purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Scant ½ cup sugar
Scant 1 cup light brown sugar
1½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten with a fork
½ cup vegetable oil
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the brown skin darkens and cracks slightly. While the nuts are still hot, rub them in a dish towel to remove most of their skins (some skin will remain) .
Line an 18x13 inch cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Chop the hazelnuts semi-coarsely in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Transfer to a large bowl. Chop the walnuts, semi-coarsely in 3 batches in a food processor and add to the hazelnuts.
Sift flour with the baking powder and add to the nuts along with both sugars and cinnamon. Combine well.
Make a well in the center of the bowl, add the eggs and the oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough begins to stick together, then work with your hands to combine. Finally, transfer the dough to a work surface and continue working with your hands to form a smooth rectangle, about 6 by 6 inches (this step may take a while.)
Cut the dough into 4 equal parts.
On a lightly floured work surface roll each piece of dough into a 12 x 1 inch smooth log. Lightly flatten the top and square the ends. Place the logs side by side on the cookie sheet, leaving a little space between them.
Bake for 30 minutes until the tops are firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board.
While the logs are still warm, cut them with a serrated bread knife into ½ inch slices (do not be discouraged if some biscotti brake, it is the hard nuts that make it difficult to cut through).
Arrange the biscotti on the same cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turn over and bake for another 10 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
