Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon anise seed 9 optional)
- 1 cup Crisco shortening
- 3 fresh eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon anisette oil (available in health food stores, or use extract found in a grocery spice rack)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Mix all the dry ingredients, including the anise seed for those who decide to use it, together in the bowl of a mixer. Add the Crisco and mix until dispersed in the flour. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend for about 3 minutes at medium speed. Deposit the ingredients into a pastry bag. Using two cookie sheets, squeeze out (or form with your hands if not using a pastry bag), two even lines| loaves lengthwise, about 1 ½ inches wide and 12 inches long.
Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes then gently move to a cutting board. Cut ¾ inch- thick slices. Lay them back onto the sheet pans, return pans to 350° oven, and toast, 20 minutes, until very crisp and deeply golden brown.
** Tip**: If you prefer stronger anise flavor in these wonderfully tender biscotti, you can add the optional anise seed to this recipe.