by Caitlin Saniga

The more zest you use, the more pronounced the orange flavor will be. I suggest zesting 2 oranges until there’s not zest left on the peel. And when you’re ready to start chomping, might I suggest sipping some chamomile tea, too?
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon bourbon
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (from 2 large oranges)
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted lightly (until fragrant)

You’re bound to have a few biscotti that break while you’re rearranging them on the tray. Don’t fret! Those are still edible and perfectly suitable for taste tests!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, orange juice, bourbon and orange zest until well combined. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the wet mixture. Mix until well blended. Add the almonds, and mix until evenly distributed.
Turn the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Using ample flour on your hands, divide the dough into two even logs, as far apart as possible on the sheet. Bake in the oven until golden, about 30 minutes.
Remove the logs from oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes. Once cool, use a long, serrated knife to cut the logs into 1/2 inch-thick slices. Lie the slices cut side down on the baking sheet. Return to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Flip the biscotti and return to the oven to brown on the remaining side, another 10 minutes. Remove the biscotti and cool on sheet a few minutes before transferring biscotti to a rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Makes about 2 dozen biscotti.
Recipe adapted from: My Big Green Cookbook
*During the month of December, we’re offering some simple biscotti recipes that can be quickly snatched for breakfast with coffee or enjoyed with tea after a long day of holiday preparation. All of our Crunch Time recipes can be found here.