Made three batches of this recipe this past week. It produces perfect biscotti--and I mean prefect! A higher protein AP flour (11.5%) is recommended. Flours in the 10% protein range will produce a softer, more crumbly cookie. This biscotti gets better with age. Two or three days after baking, both texture and flavor improved. I was very reluctant to use a recipe with butter or oil--wanted to keep in line with authentic di Prato biscotti. But after half a dozen batches of Italian style biscotti, I realized it was time to change approaches if I wanted a crunchy cookie with wasn't rock hard and bland as a dirt clod. This recipes has all the characteristics I wanted in biscotti: 1. Crunchy 2. Not too sweet, nicely balanced with flavors of nuts and fruit 3. Dry, but holds together when dunked in coffee or tea 4. Stores extremely well, so no worries baking in advance 5. Has a beautiful rustic texture that looks like a professionally baked biscotti 6. Doesn't lose all its crunch when coated with tempered chocolate (I never use chocolate chips or mix chocolate with shortening or butter, so cannot say how the cookie holds up dipped in those forms of chocolate) PJ Hammel knocked the ball out of the park with this recipe.

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