Almond Orange Biscotti

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Beat in 4 eggs, vanilla, and orange zest until it forms a ball. It will start out looking rather crumbly, so be patient! Stir in toasted almonds.

With clean, damp hands, form 2 logs on parchment-lined baking sheets. Each log should be about 4 inches wide and 3/4 inch tall.

Whisk together remaining egg and water for egg wash. Brush each log with egg wash.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top, rotating pans at the halfway point. Transfer logs to a wire rack and let cool for about 20 minutes.

Use a large serrated knife to cut 3/4 inch slices. I cut mine on the bias, or diagonal, but you can also cut straight across. Place the slices, standing up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for another 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Melt chocolate chips (I used a double boiler but you could also microwave them, checking and stirring every 30 seconds). Dip biscotti in chocolate and let cool on parchment paper.

Store in an airtight container.

Notes:
1. To toast the almonds, I just put the whole almonds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and toasted them until they started to become fragrant
2. I dipped my biscotti in chocolate along the bottom edge but you could also dunk them in the chocolate (like you would dunk it into a drink). I’ve even seen some with drizzle on them. I like the bottom coated because you get a little chocolate in every bite but it doesn’t cover up the cookie so you can still dunk it in your drink!