Hazelnut Biscotti

I'm a second breakfaster. Like a Hobbit, I love breakfast so much that one is just not enough.

My first breakfast is eaten in the kitchen with my child at my side, often a fruit smoothie, sometimes oatmeal, perhaps a piece of toast with sunbutter and banana. Second breakfast occurs later in the morning, at my desk, almost always coffee or tea with a little sweet baked something-or-other. Sometimes a muffin, maybe a little cookie, and sometimes just a handful of almonds with some dried cranberries. 

Although I don't feel the need to justify my second breakfast habit, I find it interesting that the Germans (my ancestral people!) have a term for it: "zweites Frühstück," which of course translates to "second breakfast." The term even has a Wikipedia entry, so you know it's (maybe) legit. 

"It is traditional in Bavaria, and in Poland. In Bavaria or Poland, special dishes are made exclusively to be eaten during second breakfast. In Vienna and most other parts of Austria the second breakfast is referred to as Jause. It is typical to eat four to five meals a day in these locations." - Wikipedia entry on Second Breakfast

And there's actually a global Second Breakfast celebration. On September 21, 1937, Tolkein first published The Hobbit, and many know that Hobbits are infamous second breakfasters (and elevensies!). To celebrate the 75th anniversary last year, this global celebration started - and I see no reason not to keep the party going this year. So on September 21, if you dip into the scones mid-morning, know that you are not alone. 

This weekend, I made a pile of simple hazelnut biscotti, knowing that it will provide a most pleasant second breakfast all week long. Now the only question is, what to eat for elevensies...

Hazelnut Biscotti

If I were like 99% of the American population, I would've mixed in mini chocolate chips, or at least drizzled some chocolate atop. Then I could give them a sexier name, like Nutella biscotti, and we could all share Nutella binge stories. However, I'm weird about chocolate. I love chocolate, but I don't always like it in stuff, and biscotti is one thing I prefer fairly plain. However, if it floats your boat, get your chocolatier on and have at it. As for this recipe, I have to say, rolling warm toasted hazelnuts in a kitchen towel to remove their skins is one of the single most soothing kitchen tasks ever. I'd make this again just to do that again. 

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts (7 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups cake flour
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan until lightly colored and skins are blistered, 10 to 15 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute, then rub off any loose skins in towel while nuts are still warm (don't worry about skins that don't come off). Cool nuts completely, then very coarsely chop.

Pulse together sugar and 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to bowl of mixer along with flour and beat at medium speed until combined well. Add eggs and vanilla and beat just until a dough forms. Reduce speed to low, then add remaining chopped hazelnuts and mix until incorporated. Turn off mixer and knead in any loose hazelnuts with your hands.

Halve dough and, 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. (Leave oven on.)

Cool logs on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes. Transfer logs to a cutting board, discarding parchment, and cut logs with a serrated knife on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on unlined baking sheet. Bake slices, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes more. Cool biscotti completely on sheet on rack, about 30 minutes.