Hazelnut and White Chocolate Biscotti

Course: sweet treat Skill level: easy Makes: 10

■ 160 g (5¾ oz) blanched hazelnuts

■ 80 g (2¾ oz) chilled butter (or dairy free alternative)

■ 140 g (5 oz) caster sugar

■ 1 tsp vanilla extract

■ 60 ml (2 fl oz) milk (or dairy free alternative)

■ 220 g (7¾ oz) plain flour

■ ½ tsp baking powder

■ 80 g (2¾ oz) Food Thoughts White Chocolate Chips

1 Pre-heat oven to 180 deg. C., 350 deg. F., Gas Mark 4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2 Scatter the hazelnuts on to a baking tray and place them into the oven to toast for 10 minutes.

3 Keep the oven on and allow the hazelnuts to cool for a few minutes before placing 60 g (2 oz) of them into a blender. Blend until fine crumbs form. Chop the remaining nuts roughly.

4 Next, in a large bowl, add the butter and sugar. Cream together with a hand or electric whisk. Add the vanilla extract and milk and whisk again until combined.

5 Add the ground hazelnuts, flour and baking powder, and combine before folding through most of the chopped hazelnuts (reserve a few for serving). The mixture should have come together to form a dough.

6 Place the dough on to the prepared tray. Use your hands to form it into a long log that is pretty much the length of the tray.

7 Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes before leaving to cool. Then slice into biscotti and place back into the oven for 8 minutes. Turn them over and bake for a further 8 minutes.

8 In a bowl, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time until the chips are completely melted. Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag or simply use a spoon to drizzle white chocolate over all the biscotti. Top with any leftover chopped hazelnuts.