LOW-FAT BAKING : Twice Cooked, Fat Shy

In Italy, they’re called biscotti, and they can appear at any time of the day. You’ll find them sitting on the breakfast table with the caffe latte, or late at night, at the end of a long dinner, with a glass of sweet vin santo.

They’re twice-baked so that they’re dry and hard, and at first you think they’re too hard to eat. But dip them for a second into hot coffee, chocolate or even fruit juice and they are transformed into something incredibly delicious.

There are so many variations of the recipe: Crisp ones call for lots of butter and lots of nuts. Our recipe has just a touch of butter, but these biscotti get their delicious flavor from anise seeds, orange zest and pine nuts.

If you want a softer, rounder cookie, throw some raisins or candied fruit into the batter and bake them only once. They’re just as good.

ANISE AND PINE NUT BISCOTTI

3 cups flour, preferably unbleached

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 1/2 teaspoons anise seeds

Grated zest of 1 orange or lemon

1/2 teaspoon salt, optional

3 tablespoons butter or light margarine, cut up

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 egg whites

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 to 4 tablespoons pine nuts

Combine flour with baking powder, anise seeds, orange zest and salt in bowl. Stir to mix.

In separate bowl, cream butter with sugar until light. Beat in 2 1/2 egg whites (reserve 1/2 for glaze), egg and vanilla until blended, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and slowly stir in flour mixture. Mix in pine nuts. Dough will be rough and crumbly.

With lightly floured hands, gather dough and divide into 2 parts. Shape each dough on floured surface into loaf about 11 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. (Work quickly, dough does not have to be smooth.) Place 2 rolls, about 3 inches apart, on parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.

Lightly beat remaining egg white and brush top surface of dough. Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let stand about 5 to 10 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Using serrated knife, cut biscotti logs at slight diagonal, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Place slices, cut-side down, on baking sheet and return to oven. Bake about 10 minutes longer until golden brown and dry. Makes about 30 cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

64 calories; 38 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

Variations:

Round Raisin Biscotti:

Add 1/2 cup raisins or other chopped dried fruit to dough. Drop dough (do not smooth out) by tablespoon, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheet. Indent centers and place diced dried fruit in each indentation. Bake at 375 degrees about 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar if desired. Makes about 4 dozen round biscotti.

For high-fiber biscotti, add about 3/4 cup crushed bran cereal to dough.

caption