Lemon Almond Biscotti

Yay!! It's the week of Christmas. My 7 year old is very excited and can't wait for Christmas day and to open his gifts. I have all the gifts already delivered, but haven't had a chance to wrap them. Since he's in school today, I have to try and finish wrapping them. These crunchy Lemon-almond cookies are great while wrapping along with some hot tea :-)
I made these as 'Christmas gifts' for my friends. I gave them a choice of 6 homemade treats to pick from and these biscotti were on ALL of their lists. Oh, by the way, do check my list of homemade edible gifts if you have time and plan on giving them to your dear ones.
These lemon-almond biscotti are very subtly flavored with lemon and almond. Recipe is from King Arthur Flour site. Lemon zest and lemon juice are added along with almond extract. I added some sliced almonds for some extra crunch. The lemon drizzle on top is a really nice touch.
These cookies will be actually perfect for end of summer when served along with some fresh fruit and layered with whipped cream and berries. But I think they are perfect for any time of the year. I used Meyer Lemon zest and juice in the biscotti for a more floral lemony flavor.
Ingredients: Makes about 2 dozen biscotti
All purpose flour - 2cups
Unsalted Butter - 6tbsp, softened
Sugar - ⅔cup
Lemon Zest - 1tbsp
Almond Extract - 1tsp
Baking powder - 1½tsp
Freshly squeezed Lemon juice - 3tbsp
Eggs - 2, large (or use 2tbsp egg replacer whisked in 6tbsp water)
For the Glaze:
Confectioners Sugar - ½cup
Fresh Lemon juice - 2~3tsp
Method:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
• Beat together butter, sugar, lemon zest, almond extract and baking powder until smooth and creamy. Beat in the lemon juice and eggs (or egg replacer mixture), the batter may look slightly curdled.
• Stir in the flour and mix until just combined.
• Scoop the dough onto the baking sheet, and pat into a flattened log about 13" long x 3" wide x ¾" thick. Smooth the top using damp fingers or a spatula.
• Remove from the oven and let cool at least 10 minutes or for up to 25 minutes. 
• Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
• Spritz the top of the log with water to soften slightly and wait for 5 minutes, then cut it crosswise into ½" slices.
• Set the biscotti, on edge, on the baking sheet and bake for 30~35 minutes or until they feel very dry and are golden around the edges.
• Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• To Glaze: Combine the glaze ingredients and beat until smooth. Drizzle over completely cooled biscotti.

Linking this to this year's Bake-a-thon event. Bake-a-thon 2014
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