These double-baked crisp biscotti are crammed with nuts, and dipped in chocolate for an extra treat. Perfectly crunchy, yet soft enough to eat without dunking, they also make a great gift to make for Christmas.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until creamy and well-combined.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
With mixer on low, gradually add half of flour mixture into butter mixture, then the other half, until just combined. Stir in almonds.
On a lightly floured surfaced, and using lightly floured hands, divide dough into two equal pieces. Form dough into two separate logs approximately 12" long by 2" wide and transfer to prepared cookie sheet. Make sure to space them at least 3" apart as biscotti will spread. Bake 25-30 minutes or until logs are lightly golden brown. They should still be springy when touched.
Remove from oven and allow biscotti to cool for 10-15 minutes. Leave oven on.
Once cooled, use serrated knife to slice loaves diagonally, or straight, into slices about 1 1/2" thick Place biscotti cut-side down on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. You may need to use an additional baking sheet for this.
Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Flip each biscotti over gently, and then bake another 10 minutes. Biscotti should be lightly golden brown when finished baking. Allow to cool completely.
At this point, you can store the cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Or, if desired, melt the chocolate to dip the biscotti; In a small pot, bring two inches of water to a boil. Place the chocolate in a small metal bowl and place on the pot. Mix gently until chocolate is melted. Remove metal bowl from pot and keep mixing gently, every so often, until ready to use.
Dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate allowing any excess to drip back into the chocolate bowl. Place the chocolate dipped biscotti on a baking sheet with parchment. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios, if using. Allow the chocolate to cool and set before storing or serving.