Cinnamon almond biscotti

Here is my first attempt on biscotti. Among all the cookies, this has the least sugar and fat. I love it.

Recipe: Cinnamon almond biscotti

Ingredients:
- 2 cups unbleached grocery store brand all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tps baking powder
- 1/2 tp cinnamon
- 1/4 tp salt
- 1 cup dry roasted unblanched whole almonds, unsalted
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tps pure vanilla extract

Procedure:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients except almond, (flour, sugar baking powder, cinnamon, salt) in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with an egg beater.
2. In a small bowl, mix 3 eggs and the vanilla extract together. Whisk well by hand.
3. Add the liquid mixture into the large bowl and mix until the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients are incorporated. Then add in the almonds and mix. Once the almonds are added, the mixture thickens. Knead the dough in the bowl for 1-2 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350F.
5. Turn the dough out onto a work surface dusted with about 1/4 cup of flour. Shape it into two logs of 1" height and 2-3" wide. Transfer both logs onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until the logs are slightly risen and firm to touch.
7. Take the logs out and allow to cool completely, taking about 30 minutes.
8. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the cooled logs into slices of about 1/2" thick.
9. Reheat the oven to 350F. Place the slices cut side down on the cookie sheet with parchment. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the biscotti are crisp and golden. Cool on a rack.
10. Store in airtight containers for up to a month.

Results:

Dry ingredients mixed:

Wet ingredients mixed:

Both ingredients mixed:

Almonds added:

Shaping the dough on the counter:

Two logs made:

Two logs baked the first time for 35 minutes, observe how much the logs have expanded:

Height of a log after baking:

Two logs cooling on rakes. They must have been over-baked a little. The bottom of them (shown in the top log of the picture) is a bit too brown:

Slicing a log after it's cooled. The center of the log is a little soft, but the crust is very hard:

Observe how the log cracks when sliced:

Biscotti after being baked a second time:

Observe the color of the biscotti after second baking. (Right) Before second baking; (Top left) top side of a biscotti after second baking; (Bottom left) bottom side of a biscotti after second baking.

Observations:
1. My first baking time is probably a little too long. The bottom of the logs are too brown. So I need to cut off some of the burnt parts at the bottom of the logs.
2. I cut short the second baking because the first baking has been a little longer than needed.