December 4 is National Cookie Day. It is also the day that I begin baking a different batch of cookies each day and freezing them so that I will have a nice selection to share with family and friends over the holidays. This Calabrian-inspired biscotti recipe brings the aromas of my great-grandmother’s kitchen and conjures up images of the olive, almond, and orange trees in my ancestral homeland. Whether you’re making these cookies for gifts, to enjoy at breakfast, at teatime, or after a meal, you’ll enjoy their fragrant flavor and crunchy texture. Best of all, they’re nutritious! This recipe hails from the newly released Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies. If you purchase this book, you’ll receive a free package of Amy Riolo Selections Maccheroni Pasta. Learn more here.

Almond and Orange Biscotti

Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 45 min plus cooling time Yield: 14 servings

Ingredients

2 ¼ cups almond flour

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon unrefined sea salt

4 large eggs

2 Tablespoons pure honey

2 Tablespoons orange juice

2 Tablespoons orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

½ cup whole almonds, toasted, and slied in half

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon mats.

2 Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl with a wooden spoon to combine.

3 In another large bowl, combine eggs, honey, orange juice and zest, vanilla and almond extracts, and mix well to combine.

4. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture. When done mixing stir in the opposite direction to make sure that all ingredients have been incorporated.

5. Stir in almonds. Drop dough onto baking sheet to form 2 (14 x4-inch logs that are spaced 2-3 inches apart.

6. Wet your fingertips and smooth out the logs into even shapes. Bake for 20-25 minutes until logs are golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes.

7. Reduce oven temperature to 325F degrees. Carefully transfer logs to work surface, and using a serrated knife, cut them into 1/2 -inch thick slices. Re-line the baking sheet and arrange slices on the sheet. Bake again for 10 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Serve with espresso or coffee for dunking.

Tip: If you want to include a tip related to the recipe, you can. You can also include more than one tip if you want.