Biscotti Regina

This easy Sicilian recipe for Queen’s Cookies was kindly made available by local Melbourne freelance writer Karen Sparnon, author of the wonderfully-evocative novel, Madonna of the Eucalypts (Text Publishing).

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour, ¾ cup caster sugar,
1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt,
4 ounces 125grams) butter, 2 large eggs,
¼ teaspoon anise powder, 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, 1 egg white,
½ cup sesame seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a large baking tray. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter and stir the mixture into a crumbly consistency.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the anise powder and lemon zest, then combine with the flour mixture. Gently stir the mixture for a few moments until it forms dough and is easy to handle. All this can be achieved using a food processor.

Roll the dough into thumb-sized logs about 1 inch in diameter. Lightly beat the egg whites with a tablespoon of water, brush the logs with egg white then dredge and gently embed the sesame seeds onto the pieces and thoroughly cover them.

Cut the logs into two-inch intervals, space biscotti on the buttered tray and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the seeds are toasted. Makes about 24.