Anise Biscotti

I am absolutely in love with this basic biscotti recipe! (Obviously!) I really wanted a third variation, but was running out of creative ideas. I had a few leftover pecans from making candies, so I decided to do an anise biscotti and throw them in too. These had a really light, delicate flavor and were the favorite among my extended family. Clean and simple is just better sometimes! I'm sure these would taste great without the pecans too if you're not a fan of nuts.

The ones in the upper right hand corner are the Anise biscotti. Unfortunately this is the only picture I got of them. I decided to keep the chocolate decoration simple, like the biscotti's flavor, and just drizzled them with some milk chocolate. Dipping them would be pretty too, and you could add chopped pecans to the top as well. Chocolate is not a necessary addition, but makes them look pretty and it's kind of fun!

Anise Biscotti

(Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 tsp anise extract 

2 3/4 all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs on at a time, beating well after each addition, and then add the extracts. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix until almost combined. Add thepecans and mix until well incorporated and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and rub a little flour on your hands. Divide the dough in two equal pieces and shape each into a log approximately 4 inches wide and 10 inches long. Bake on parchment lined baking sheets until lightly brown and small cracks form, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Transfer the logs to a cutting board. Slice on the diagonal in 1/2" slices using a very sharp kitchen knife. Place them back on the trays with the cut side up. Bake for another 16-20 minutes until lightly browned, turning over half way through baking. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.