London Fog Biscotti with Almonds, Lavender, and Earl Grey
These London Fog biscotti are crispy cookies meant for dunking, infused with the flavors of Earl Grey tea, vanilla, lavender, and almonds. I like to have these as an afternoon snack, paired with a cup of hot, milky Earl Grey or a London Fog latte, but they're also nice with a cup of coffee. They're a perfect pick-me-up for an afternoon slump!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sliced, slivered, or whole almonds
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp dried culinary lavender flowers
- 1 tsp Earl Grey or London Fog tea leaves
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Garnish (optional)
- 1 oz almond bark or white chocolate
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds
Instructions
mix dry ingredients:
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- In a medium-large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, almonds, tea leaves, and lavender flowers
- Using a fine mesh sieve or sifter to remove any lumps, add the baking powder to the bowl.
- Stir or whisk to combine all ingredients well.
mix wet ingredients:
- Break the eggs into a small bowl or large measuring cup.
- Add the vanilla extract, and optional almond extract.
- Using a fork or whisk, break the yolks and stir the egg mixture until the yolks and whites are well-combined.
mix dough:
- Pour the egg mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.
- Using a wooden spoon, dough whisk, sturdy spatula, or clean hands, fold and stir the mixture until the wet and dry ingredients are combined.
- The dough will look very dry at first. This is normal. Keep mixing! The flour will absorb the egg and make a stiff but slightly sticky dough.
shape loaves:
- Place a nonstick silicone liner or a sheet of parchment on your baking sheet. (You can also use butter or baking spray to keep your cookie loaves from sticking during the first bake, or a nonstick pan).
- Divide the dough in half, and place each half on the sheet pan (I make two short logs, perpendicular to the long side of the pan, but you could also bake it in one long loaf. I find that two shorter loaves bake more evenly.
- Using your hands, shape each half into a flat oblong rectangle on the baking pan. Each "loaf" should be about 4-5" wide and 10-12" long, and from ½"-1" thick.
- The shape of your loaf will determine the length and thickness of your biscotti, but they will rise and spread a bit when they bake.
first bake:
- Bake the loaves for 15-20 minutes. They should be firm but not completely dry, and just starting to color.
- Remove from the oven, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, let cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes. If you are making a double batch or multiple kinds of biscotti, you can bake the second batch while the first is cooling.
slice the biscotti:
- Slice the cookies across the short length into ½"-1" thick biscotti.
- Thicker biscotti will take longer to bake but you can make them how you like them- just adjust the baking time as needed to dry them out completely.
second bake:
- Lay the slices flat on your cookie sheets and bake them again for another 10-15 minutes or until they are dry and crunchy.
- They will get crunchier as they cool, but make sure they're completely dry.
- You may want to turn the cookies once during the bake, especially if you have made thicker biscotti, so that they dry evenly without burning.
- If they are not completely dry and crunchy once they cool after the second baking, you can bake them again. Removing all the moisture is key to the long shelf life of these cookies!
- If you made thicker slices, you may need to bake them longer to get them fully dry in the second bake. Lower the oven temperature if they begin to brown before drying out.
cool completely:
- You can turn off the oven before the cookies are completely dry, and leave them in with the door open or cracked to cool to make sure they get completely dry (just check to make sure they aren't still baking or burning).
- I usually take them out of the oven, when they are dry and just beginning to color a bit, then cool them on wire racks.
- If you don't have cooling racks, you can wait until the cookies are cool enough to handle, and lean them on the rim of the sheet pan so that air can circulate underneath.
garnish (optional):
- If you are decorating the cookies, wait until they are completely cool.
- Break off a one oz square of white almond bark, candy coating, or white chocolate, and melt it over a double boiler or carefully in the microwave.
- Check the chocolate or candy coating frequently- it goes quickly from solid to burnt if you aren't careful!
- Stir, then use a spoon to quickly drizzle over the cookies, or use a parchment paper cone to pipe squiggles. Or, you can dunk one end of the cookies.
- While the chocolate or coating is still warm, sprinkle with sliced almonds, lavender flowers, or sprinkles, if you like.
Notes
Baking notes: If they are not completely dry and crunchy once they cool after the second baking, you can bake them again. Removing all the moisture is key to the long shelf life of these cookies!
If you made thicker slices, you may need to bake them longer to get them fully dry in the second bake. Lower the oven temperature if they begin to brown before drying out.
Pantry & Storage Tips: Store your biscotti in an airtight container once they are fully cooled, and any garnish/coating has completely set up. You want to make sure that any remaining moisture has time to evaporate, so that they don't mold or get stale from condensation once you seal the container.
If properly stored, these last for a month or more. I like to put them in wide-mouth mason jars or metal tins, but you can also use zip-seal bags or plastic containers. You can freeze these, but they keep very well in the pantry as long as they're in a sealed container.
Nutrition
Calories: 107kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 93mgPotassium: 55mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 35IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
