Seeking the crunch of Biscotti.

These sweet little cookies are ready in a flash and are wonderful with a cup of coffee. While in Sweden, I've been eating (or should I say inhaling) all kinds of traditional pastries. Each day, Swedes participate in a ritual called Fika ~ meaning a well deserved coffee (or tea) break. Often it's served with something sweet, like a cinnamon bun ~ kanelbulle, a pastry or a small cookie. People do this at home, at work, at a cafe, in the park, or wherever they may be. Whether at the beach or on the ski slopes, Swedes simply bring a thermos with freshly brewed coffee along with a snack.

Lots of bakeries in the capital of Stockholm offer gluten-free baked goods along with their 'regular' pastries made from wheat flour. Since I arrived, I feel like I've been on a mission to visit each one and try them all. So far, I've had Semlor ~ a heavenly bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream, Choklad Biskvi ~ a divine cookie with a nut bottom and chocolate butter cream filling, Istambullrulle ~ a decadent hazelnut roll filled with whipped cream and mandarin slices, and meringues. I'm happy to say that being gluten-free in Sweden is a piece of cake. Most bakeries offers yummy options to their hungry gluten-free customers!



Here, I'm devouring a Semla at Vetekatten in Stockholm (I saved the cinnamon bun for later).

And there are tons of store filled with candy ~ godis. As soon as I get off the plane, I head for the salty licorice. Yummy!




Yet, with all this decadence to be found, I long for a simple cookie. One with a satisfying crunch! Something that holds up to some serious dipping in my coffee. I want a cup of coffee and a biscotti, or skorpa as it's called in my native tongue. So, I started baking...

Biscotti can be made in a variety of ways; with nuts: hazelnuts, walnut or pistachio nuts, with spices: cinnamon, cardamon, anis, or with orange, lemon, or lime zest, add some dried fruit and berries: blueberries or cranberries, or simply mix in some chopped dark chocolate. And they are delicious when dipped in melted chocolate. Experiment, find the combination you desire; make a batch and share with friends for morning or afternoon tea (or coffee). Hungry friends and husbands (I know mine does) will really appreciate them!

Almond Biscotti

30 cookies

1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

1 stick butter (4 oz), room temperature

2/3 cup sugar, or light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups Anna's GF Cake Flour Blend, or your own favorite blend

2 1/2 tbsp milk

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place all ingredients, except the chopped nuts, in a food processor. Pulse until forming dough. Remove the dough from the food processor, and place into a large bowl. Add the chopped nuts to the bowl, and mix until fully combined. Batter should be a bit sticky.




Divide the dough into 3 mounds and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Form each piece into logs. Wet your hands with some water, if your fingers get too sticky.

Bake in the middle of oven for 15 minutes, until the logs are golden in color. Remove from oven. Let the logs cool for 5 minutes. Using gentle and sawing motions, cut each log crosswise into 3/4 inch-thick diagonal slices. Turn the slices on their sides. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Turn the biscotti again. Lower the oven to 250 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes.

Turn off the oven and leave the biscotti in the oven for 1-2 hours to dry.

Enjoy!

For my Swedish family and friends, here comes the recipe in Swedish:

Mandel Biscotti

ca 30 st.

Dessa knapriga italienska skorpor kan du variera hur mycket som helst. Byt ut mandeln mot hasselnötter, valnötter eller pistaschenötter. Man kan med fördel tillsätta olika kryddor som kanel, kardemumma eller korianderfrö.

1 dl (75 g) grovhackad mandel

100 gr smör, rumsvarmt

1 1/2 dl socker eller Muscovado socker

2 ägg

5 1/2 dl Anna & Ciccis Glutenfria Mjölblandning,* eller ditt eget favorit mix

2 1/2 msk mjölk

2 tsk bakpulver

1/4 tsk salt

Sätt ugnen på 200 grader.

Hacka mandlen. Använd gärna matberedare. Häll upp nötterna på en tallrik.

Tillsätt alla andra ingredienser i matberedaren. Arbeta ihop till en deg. Ta ur degen och lägg i en skål. Arbeta sedan in nötterna.

Rulla 3 längder, ungefär lika långa som plåten, på en plåt med bakplåtspapper. Blöt händerna med lite vatten om degen blir för kladdig.

Grädda i mitten av ugnen ca 15 minuter tills de fått en gyllene färg. Låt längderna vila 5 minuter. Skär längderna i 2 cm breda sneda bitar. Var försiktig, skorporna går lätt sönder innan dom har torkat. Vänd upp skorpornas ena snittyta och rosta dem i samma ugnsvärme 10 minuter.

Sänk ugnsvärmen till 125 grader. Vänd andra snittytan upp och rosta i 10 minuter.

Stäng av ugnen. Låt gärna biscotti ligga kvar på plåten i ugnen någon timme så att de torkar.

*Anna & Ciccis Glutenfria Mjölblandning:

8 dl vitt rismjöl

2 dl majsmjöl

2 1/3 dl potatismjöl

3 dl maizena (majsstärkelse)

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Location:Stockholm, Sweden