Italian biscotti with lemon

These Italian biscotti with lemon are known as biscottini simply because they are tini – very small. They are fragrant with fresh lemon, crumbly, fresh and delicate, really delicious. They are also very quick to prepare.

In Italy, it can often be quite difficult to know when to serve biscotti. In our experience they will be served to you should you visit someone outside of normal eating hours. They may be served for breakfast, sometimes with an espresso during the day (although perhaps not biscotti flavored with lemon) and sometimes at the end of a meal with a liqueur. Outside of Italy, we eat them whenever we want and I am not ashamed to say so!

These are very small pop-in-you-mouth biscottini and although 30 – 40 may seem like enough to go around, consider doubling the recipe.

Italian biscotti with lemon: makes 30 – 40

100 gr soft butter
110 gr sugar
260 gr tipo 00 flour
12 g baking powder
1 medium egg
the juice of half a lemon
the grated rind of a lemon
granulated sugar and icing sugar to cover

Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and blend with an electric whisk for a couple of minutes until pale and creamy.
Add the egg, lemon juice and grated zest, then mix these ingredients well with the whisk.
Finally add the flour and baking powder.
Wrap the mixture in a sheet of cling film and place it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Then form balls the size of a walnut, press the tops first in the granulated sugar then in the icing sugar, avoid the bottom of the cookie.
Place them on a plate covered with parchment paper, press them down a little and bake at 355F180C, for about 10 minutes. Cracks will form on the surface and they will be gently browned.
Cool on a wire rack and when cooled, store at room temperature in an airtight container.