These biscuits, from The Hebridean Baker by Coinneach Macleod are the invention of Amanda who runs the Temple, a beautiful café in Northton on the Isle of Harris. Bringing a Scottish twist to these Italian baked biscuits… maybe we should call them biscotty?
This recipe calls for dried heather, which can be made by cutting the spikes of flowers while they’re still in bud, then hanging them to dry in small bunches out of direct sunlight.
Makes enough to share
40g whole hazelnuts
355g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
105g caster sugar
150g light brown sugar
3 eggs
½ tsp almond extract
85g olive oil
1 heaped tsp dried heather flowers
Zest of ½ orange
1 Preheat the oven to 160C/Fan 140C/Gas 2-3. Place the hazelnuts on a tray and toast lightly in the oven for 5 mins, then leave to cool.
2 Once cool, add the nuts to a bowl along with the flour, baking powder, salt, both kinds of sugar and combine.
3 Blend together the eggs, almond extract and olive oil then add half the heather flowers and half the orange zest and stir together.
4 Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until well combined – it’ll be a sticky dough. Let it sit in the bowl for about 10 mins as this helps to make it more manageable to shape.
5 Meanwhile, line a baking tray with baking paper. Wet your hands to avoid the dough sticking to them and roll it into logs, each about 25cm long. Place on the baking tray and sprinkle with the remaining heather and zest.
6 Bake for about 20 mins until golden. Remove and allow to cool for 10 mins.
7 Reduce the oven temperature to 150C/Fan 130C/Gas 2. Slice the biscotti into 12cm slices, then return to the oven and bake for 5 mins, turn over and bake for 5 mins more, or until golden. Place on a wire rack to cool and store in an airtight Kilner jar.
Taken from The Hebridean Baker: Recipes and Wee Stories from the Scottish Islands by Coinneach Macleod (Black & White Publishing). Photography: Euan Anderson. You can find more recipes by The Hebridean Baker in our October issue, including Bride’s Bron, Bramble Whisky and Bra Braw Buns.
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