Vanilla Bean and Almond Biscotti

Preheat your oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together your flour, salt and baking powder until completely combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer (with paddle attachment fixed), cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure the first one is completely incorporated before you add the second one. Add the vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds and mix to combine. In ½ cup increments add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and continue until all is incorporated, or until you have a very thick “cookie-like” dough. Gently fold in the sliced almonds with a heavy wooden spoon.

Flour your work surface and dump the dough onto it. Mold it into a 12 inch by 4 inch log and transfer to your baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until just hard to the touch (be careful when you touch it).

Remove from the oven, set pan on a rack and let it cool completely for about 45 minutes to an hour. Transfer the parchment paper along with the biscotti to a cutting board and cut ½ to 1 inch slices out of the log.

Line your baking sheet with another sheet of parchment paper. Lay the biscotti slices onto the sheet, cut side down. Bake again for about 15 minutes or until crispy.

Remove from the oven and let the biscotti cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. Once the biscotti has cooled completely, dip the biscotti into the melted chocolate, sticking each slice about ¼ of the way down into the chocolate. Then decorate as you please. Place on a piece of parchment paper to allow chocolate to dry completely.

Can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 weeks. Enjoy!