This was a pretty simple recipe. It was fairly straightforward. I ran out of almond extract after only using one teaspoon, so I substituted vanilla for the other half teaspoon. The logs formed pretty easily. When Dorie said this was a sticky dough, she was not kidding!
I baked it according to directions. Apparently, that was wrong. It needed much more baking time than originally suggested. I took it out, let it cool for 15 minutes, and then tried moving it to the cutting board. Big mistake. It was still pretty raw in the middle. I shoved it back in the oven for a good ten minutes and then took it out again. It looked more golden brown. I let it sit for another fifteen minutes, and then I tried to move it and cut it.
It still did not like being moved, and it proceeded to fall apart. I was too annoyed at that point, so I salvaged the slices that I had and put them and the remaining lumps back on the sheet to put in the oven.
Here's a close-up that is a testament to the under-doneness that is my biscotti.
And this is what it ended up looking like after the third bake. Some pieces were very biscotti-like!
All in all, I enjoyed this cookie. I liked the crunch of the cornmeal that was a problem for some of the other bakers. I would certainly try this again using some other flavor combinations. And, I would bake it for a longer time the first go round.
Thank you to Gretchen of Canela & Comino for picking this recipe. Next up: Pumpkin Muffins chosen by Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp.
EDITED TO ADD: I made these again. This time I refrigerated the logs overnight, baked them for an additional 12 minutes for the first bake, and added six minutes to the second bake. I also added orange peel with the sugar and some chocolate chips. The extra time made all the difference. Excellent!
21 comments:
Yikes! Sorry yours fell apart. Bet it still tasted awesome, tho.
yeah, the recipe was just SO wrong on baking times. but the dough is good no matter how it's baked (or not!).
Looks like we had the same kind of problem. At least they tasted good right?
Mine was pretty underdone too... Dorie must have a hotter oven than the rest of us. But I bet your broken pieces still tasted yummy, and that's what matters!
I totally had your problems with the underbaking and the falling apart. I was beyond annoyed, but then realized that I just needed a couple of decent ones for the pictures, and I could happily eat the rest of the biscotti nuggets myself! The taste was great though! And I think the ones in your "third bake" picture look fantastic!
My biscotti broke apart too but I think it was because my loaves were too thin. At least I didn't have the problem of them being underdone!
Yikes, those definitely were a bit underbaked - it's odd that the directions were so far off. I hope your few biscotti-like biscotti were tasty!
I'm sorry they fell apart! That was some sticky dough wasn't it? I bet you are still enjoying eating them though. Sometimes the things that fall apart taste the best!
wow, i can't believe they came out so underdone! crazy. at least they ended up tasting good, that's all that really matters :)
Sorry yours didn't cut well.
The bake time was perfect for me.
I kind of enjoyed the sticky dough....just meant that I got to lick my fingers.
Ditto on the wrong baking times. When I first tried to cut my dough it started to fall apart so I stuck it back in the oven and was able to seal up the crack. I'm glad the pieces were still tasty though.
I had to bake mine for longer as well. Pleased you liked them in the end though!
Hey just break them up and serve them with ice cream!
LOL...I am only laughing because mine looked like yours on the tray...so nice and promising at the beginning and then all crumbly and WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE at the end!!! I am definitely going to try it again also as it seems like it should come together better and maybe novices just need a little experience of what not to do...definitely more cooking time. I think Dorie must have a convection oven and I do not. Her times are always shorter than mine.
Too bad things sort of fell apart on you! I hope you try these again with a longer first bake. I think you will enjoy the look and taste then.
You are not alone with the mis-directed baking time...sounds like it wasn't a total loss, and you ended up with yummy tasting results!
I love your photos!! This happened to me on the first batch, but I didn't snap any photos. The end result worked out though so that's what matters! :)
Wow! That is some raw biscotti. Good thing it's designed to be double-baked, right? :) Bet it still tasted good, though!
Oh boy. hmmm. At least they tasted good. Thanks for blogging about your tribulations. And for sharing your experience in the P&Q post. It helped me.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only person who has had some issues with Dorie's baking times. I think I baked my creme brulees for 1/2 an hour longer than she recommended, and they came out just right. Anyway, sometimes the homeliest cookies are the tastiest! Yours look yummy to me.
Wow, thanks for the update! I'm impressed that you made them again so soon!
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