In the midst of studying for history a few days ago, I got a sudden pang for something nutty, and people, as you can imagine, I don’t do well with pangs. I had no idea that snow was in the forecast when I left my house the next morning, and didn’t think twice about wearing snow boots, but of course I was somehow unaware of the coming blizzard, thus I effectively ruined my leather flats while trudging to the supermarket after coming home from midterms.

And last week in Italian class, someone brought in a jar of nutella and a box of spoons, for the pure goodness of nutella, not even to satisfy a show and tell assignment or something. And people, if there’s ever a sign that I needed to satisfy my craving for nutty-sweet goodness, it was that jar of nutella, placed right smack in front of me.

These biscotti are nuts in their truest form, plain and simple; hazelnuts are blended with sugar until they’re finely ground and their oils are released. Then, after adding flour, an egg, and vanilla, the dough is shaped into a log and baked. They’re just sweet enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, but also perfect to dunk into your morning coffee, and make your whole house smell like hazelnuts while they’re baking in the oven- which is never a bad thing, of course.

I feel obliged to also mention that my Mom, leaving to go on a week-long business trip to Spain today, asked me in a panic to do whatever it takes to save her the biscotti that she couldn’t believe she would be leaving. “Will they stay over the next week? Do we need to freeze them, or, or put them in a special container or something?” she asked. Yes, my mother was torn between these biscotti and Spain.

Hazelnut Biscotti
from the Gourmet Cookbook

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups self-rising cake flour
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toast hazelnuts on an unlined baking sheet in oven until nuts are lightly colored and skins are blistered, 10 to 15 minutes. Wrap nuts in a clean kitchen towel (leave oven on) and let steam for 1 minute, then rub off loose skins with towel while nuts are still  warm (don’t worry about skins that don’t come off). Cool nuts completely, then very coarsely chop.

Pulse 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts with sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl, add flour, and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla and beat just until a dough forms. Reduce speed to low, add remaining chopping hazelnuts, and mix until incorporated. Knead in any loose hazelnuts with your hands.

Halve dough. With dampened hands, form each half into a roughly 10 by 2 by 1 inch log on lined baking sheet, arranging logs 3 inches apart.

Bake until golden and set but still soft to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet on a rack for 10 minutes. (Leave oven on).

Transfer logs to a cutting board (discard parchment). With a serrated knife, cut logs on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange slices cut side down in one layer on unlined baking sheet. Bake slices, turning once, until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool biscotti completely on sheet on rack.

The biscotti keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.