Cantuccini

Saturday evening and bored so I decided to have a go at making some Cantuccini, they turned out surprisingly well, a tad large but I will know for next time to make two lots.

Cantuccini Biscuits

Ingredients

 150g roughly chopped hazelnuts

 150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

 125g caster sugar

 Pinch of ground cinnamon

 1 tsp baking powder

 1 tsp vanilla essence, alternatively 1 vanilla pod, seeds only

 2 free range eggs plus 1 free range yolk

 25-50g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 5

1. Mix the chopped hazelnuts, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and vanilla seed (if using) in a bowl until well combined.
2. Beat the eggs and egg yolk together until pale and fluffy, then beat the eggs into the mixture until the mixture is well combined and come together as dough.
3. Dust a work surface with icing sugar and flour, only requires a small amount. Using the palms of your hands roll the biscuit into a cylinder shape on the dusted surface at this point I would make two logs, otherwise the biscuits will be a bit large. Flatten the dough a little to form an oval cylinder.
4. Transfer the dough to a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the biscuit has doubled in size. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
5. When the biscuit has cooled, cut into 1cm thick slices, I would recommend using a serrated knife as it would be easier to cut the slices, a sharp knife may squash the biscuit log and break it.
6. Place each biscuit onto a baking tray and return to the oven for a further 20-25 minutes or until crisp, golden-brown and cooked through.