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Anise

Anise Biscotti

by:
March 15, 2010
4
5 Ratings
  • Serves 25-30 cookies
Author Notes

About 2 years ago I moved away from my favorite Italian bakery. Visiting them on vacation has not satisfied me. I still have cravings for Anisette Toasts. I've spent the past 3 months working on my own recipe. I'm finally able to satiate my desire. —breadandbeta

Test Kitchen Notes

I was a little skeptical at first when I started making this recipe, but sticking to the recipe is worth it for a tasty biscotti! Instead of a firm dough, the mixture resulted in a loose batter that was poured into a cake pan -- a unique method that was simple and produced a great textured biscotti. I might try this base with different flavors in the future! The amount of anise it called for seemed excessive, but it tastes just right... not too sweet, and not overly anise-y. The crushed anise seeds also provide just the right seedy crunch. In the steps, it says to "Cook an additional 10-15 minutes, to brown on each side." I wasn't sure if this meant 10-15 min total, or 10-15 min for each side... it turned out to be the latter (to achieve that perfect biscotti texture). The flavor was good, as was the texture, and the recipe was very easy to follow. It was tasty with my coffee the next morning, and the BF loved it! - Loves Food Loves to Eat —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons anise extract
  • 1 1/2 ounces brandy
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon anise seed
Directions
  1. Line 13x9x2 baking pan with foil. Grease foil.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  3. With electric mixer, cream butter.
  4. Add sugar and mix until incorporated.
  5. Add eggs, mixing well after each addition.
  6. Add oil. Mix well.
  7. Combine brandy, vanilla, and anise extract. Add to batter.
  8. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
  9. Grind anise seed in mortar and pestle. Add and mix to combine.
  10. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  11. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden.
  12. Remove from oven and let cool for a minute.
  13. Remove from pan and peel off foil. Let cool on rack.
  14. Slice in half lengthwise. Slice each part into cookies, approx. 1 inch thick.
  15. Arrange cookies onto baking sheet.
  16. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes, to brown on each side.
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7 Reviews

Write a Review
Whipple February 6, 2022
So simple! No more misshapen loaves! Grated orange peel into sugar and subbed orange juice for brandy. Penzey's cracked Anise obviated grinder. Love the flavour.
Bobbi November 12, 2018
At long last......a Biscotti recipe that I can bake in a pan and it comes out perfect!. No more messy hands and flour everywhere, trying to form the batter into a loaf shape. I just made this with 1/2 recipe and it made 18 pieces that are crispy and delicious! Thrilled with this ingenious method....can’t wait to try out my orange and maple flavors! Delighted! Thank-you!
MJ O. August 1, 2018
I just made these and it’s so easy! I never thought it would work bc it’s not made into a loaf but a cake pan. I added mini chocolate chips, pistachios and cherry infused dried cranberries... I must say I would have increased the Anise, it was faint but these are worth a try.
bottomupfood July 20, 2011
I made these and they turned out beautifully. I might increase the anise extract and/or anise seeds next time, but that might be because I love anise more than the average bear. I really liked how the recipe was written up. Curious to know why Loves Food Loves To Eat was skeptical of this recipe. Perhaps because it is so written in such simple, straightforward language? The lack of poetry didn't make the biscotti any worse.
Loves F. July 20, 2011
Hi bottomupfood, glad you asked (mostly because it reminded me that I should make these again)!

I was skeptical for two reasons, neither of which had to do with the writing style (and, neither of which ended up being warranted, since I loved the way this recipe turned out):

1. All of the biscotti recipes I've made in the past had a firm dough that was formed into shape by hand, rather than a loose batter that was poured into a cake pan. I was unaware that this would produce biscotti with similar texture to my method, but was proven wrong, and was very happy with the results.

2. I was a little nervous that there was too much anise, and that it would be overwhelming (I almost even used less than called for--hence my comment above, about sticking to the recipe), but it ended up cooking out a bit, to where it was just the right amount--or, as you mentioned, could maybe even use more!

I go into a bit more detail in my blog post about Bread and Beta's awesome recipe: http://lovesfoodlovestoeat.blogspot.com/2010/03/totally-baked.html


coffeefoodwrite April 1, 2010
This looks quite lovely. I am looking forward to trying them. Thank you.
Loves F. March 28, 2010
Testing this tomorrw, can't wait! Planning on sending a batch to my parents for Easter!