Cinnamon Toast Biscotti

Remember our little fettish with cinnamon toast? I am taking ramping it up a bit so we can dunk it in our coffee, well that is if you are a dunker. Me? Yes, I am a totally dunker.

Cinnamon toast:

Bread + butter + cinnamon + sugar = dreaminess

Pure bliss for breakfast.

Cinnamon toast biscotti:

I am going to eat cookies and have my toast too.

SO there you have it. Can't argue that.

Growing up mom kept a shaker of equal parts sugar and cinnamon next to the salt and pepper. I would liberally dust warm buttered flour tortillas or slices of toast when the urge hit. Sweet slightly spicey comfort food.

These days I shake the cinnamon sugar over my coffee, cookies and these biscotti.

I love biscotti. The crunch, the crumbs, the subtle flavors. For years I used this recipe for chocolate biscotti and I thought I was really on to something. A cookie with no butter. WAIT a minute! A cookie with no butter! They are good with the greatest chocolate intentions and I will continue to make them but when I want something decadent I want the real deal meal with butter and sugar in all of it's glory.

Butter makes everything better. Put butter in your biscotti. Biscotti needs butter.

Cinnamon Toast Biscotti

Adapted from Michael Ruhlman

Yield: About 2 dozen biscotti 

 Break out those scales, it will be worth it, I promise! Or use this conversion.

280 grams all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
120 grams butter, unsalted
170 grams sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Topping:

50 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 beaten egg (for brushing biscotti before baking)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a sheet tray with parchment paper or silpat.

Whisk together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping and set aside. 

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and whisk it to distribute the ingredients.

Cream the butter and sugar together with a paddle attachment in a standing mixer (or however you mix), for about 3-4 minutes.

Add in the eggs one at a time, scrape sides of bowl down with a rubber spatula after each addition of egg, then add vanilla extract.

Once the eggs are incorporated, turn the mixer on low speed and slowly pour in the dry ingredients. Mix just until the dough comes together.

Flour a work surface and spatula the dough out of the bowl. Divide in half (it should be sticky, thus the flour; use as little flour as possible). Roll the dough into two cylinders 2 inches in diameter and place on the lined sheet tray far enough apart that they won’t relax into each other.

Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle very generously with cinnamon sugar topping.

Bake until golden brown, 35 minutes, then set aside to cool enough to handle, leaving the oven on.

Slice the cooled loaves with a serrated knife on the diaganal making 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch pieces, sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar.

Place these slices on the sheet tray and bake for another 12-15 minutes, until they are lightly golden.

Remove from oven cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.