Easy Homemade Almond Biscotti

We're friends here, so I feel like I can be candid. I've never made biscotti before. I'm pretty sure I've watched my mom bake it once in my youth though. Does that count? Like experience through osmosis. No? Cool cool, it's fine.

If I can speak my truth again (thank you all for your patience and support), these biscotti turned out pretty amazing. And honestly? (we love honesty around here) It was crazy easy. Yes, it takes a while because there are a few steps, but what else are you doing with your night? Pour a glass of wine, go watch an episode of Outer Banks S2 while it bakes, you're set; you'll feel fulfilled. Feed your mouth hole and your soul with these.

Okay recipe time. I scoured the interwebs so you don't have to, and combined a few recipes and techniques to make this fool proof and easy. It's easy! Did I mention that? Did you already close your browser?...

What you'll need:

1/2 C softened butter (1 stick) - I used salted, I'm not this butter professional. Use whatever makes your heart happy.
3/4 C granulated sugar - I've seen recipes with brown sugar, white sugar, and both. This worked out well for me.
2 large eggs (room temp)
2 tsp almond extract - Don't like almond? Use vanilla! Or again, whatever flavor makes you happy. Find your bliss.
2 C all purpose flour - I personally didn't sift it
1 1/2 tsp baking powder - Powder = puffy
1/8 tsp salt (the regular one, not the maldon, not the pink himalayan. Find the one with the Morton salt girl with the umbrella and you're good to go)
3/4 C slivered almonds (not toasted)
THAT'S IT. Easy. Told ya.

Do these things:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 Celcius if you're normal like the rest of the world except for America) and prep your baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat together your butter and sugar. People will say you need a hand or stand mixer to beat these together until they're light and fluffy. I do not have either of those things. But I'm here to tell you that a whisk does the trick! As long as your butter is soft, you can whip that baby just as well as a hand mixer. And you get a little bonus arm workout. Win-win.
One at a time, beat your eggs into the butter and sugar mixture. Once both eggs are fully incorporated, stir in the almond extract.
In a separate smaller bowl, combine together your salt, baking powder, and flour. Again, I didn't sift it. You can if you'd like. I didn't have any lumps though.
Slowly combine your flour mixture into your butter/sugar mixture. I did 3 batches and switched to a silicone spatula once the batter was getting thick (after the second batch of flour).
When all of the flour is well incorporated (don't over mix!), fold in your slivered almonds. Your dough will feel a little tacky; you'll be able to tell you can't shape it right away.
Cover your bowl and let that baby hang out in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Take your chilled dough and shape it into a round-edged rectangle on your parchment paper-lined baking sheet. You can aim for a thickness of about 3/4in to 1in. And it definitely doesn't need to look perfect. Case in point (see below). I prefer the longer slices, so I did one loaf. If you like shorter biscotti, make two smaller loaves. Easy peasy.
Bake for 40 min. The edges will start to brown slightly, the bottom will be golden, and your kitchen will smell incredible.
Let cool for 5-7 minutes, then slice across the loaf into 3/4in pieces.
Place the sliced biscotti back on the baking sheet, cut side against the pan, and bake 6-8 min each side.
Let biscotti cool on a wired baking rack until cool enough that you can eat them without burning your mouth because you've been smelling them this whole time and can't wait until they're fully cool.
DEVOUR. And store them in a ziplock bag. They'll probably only last a few days because they're freaking delicious. And that's it! Byeeee

**2a. If your butter isn't soft, you can try the warm glass method. Take a water glass, fill it with hot water for 2-3 minutes. Pour out the water and place the glass over your stick of butter. Let the butter sit under the glass for about 5 minutes. The heat from the warm glass will soften your butter so you don't have to wait around for it all day. We can't dilly dally, we have biscotti to make.