Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Biscotti di Vino Rosso Speziati

Biscotti di Vino Rosso Speziati are dainty cookies filled with the flavours of mulled wine with an added crunch from black sesame seeds. Perfect for accompanying fortified wine after a meal or on a cheese board for a unique, lightly sweetened treat this holiday!


Ever been trying to multitask and got so cocky with your "skills" that you totally mess things up? Yeah - that was almost me when it came to photographing these cookies. Thankfully my reliable taste-tester had asked for a second one so I snagged a photo before it too disappeared!

I cannot believe I made a huge (read: double) batch of these "grown up", two bite cookies and almost forgot to photograph them! This is the perils of trying to do everything at once during peak term-paper, report card and traveling season, but I can assure you that they are well worth making yourself if you enjoy the scent and flavour of mulled wine! I opted for black sesame seeds and white sanding sugar for my coating to give the cookies a bit of sparkle and nutty crunch, and would recommend not skipping the freezing step under any circumstances, as these cookies are relatively delicate and this helps hold them together. The Italian guests we had over last week enjoyed these dipped into dessert wine after dinner as they aren't too sweet, and I bet they'd be perfect on a cheese platter too.

I will be back posting after Christmas, so have a great holiday and thanks for another great year!

Biscotti di Vino Rosso Speziati
Adapted from Domenica Cooks 
Makes ~24
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of fine sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1/2 orange
3/4 cup dry red wine (I used a Merlot)
1 1/2 cups "00" semolina flour (I used one labeled "for pasta")
1  cup all purpose flour
1/2 cups spelt flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
black sesame seeds, to top
  1. In a bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, spices, salt, vanilla, orange zest and wine until well blended.
  2. Add the flours, baking powder and baking soda, mixing until well blended.
  3. Cover and let sit 30 minutes.
  4. Use a tablespoon measure or scoop to form the dough into balls, and roll them in the black sesame seeds to coat.
  5. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze 1 hour. 
  6. Heat the oven to 350F.
  7. Bake for about 22 minutes, until set but not dry. 
  8. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 1 month.

No comments :

Post a Comment

Thanks for the feedback!