Cardamom and chocolate biscotti recipe

A jar-full of these biscotti make a lovely present. They store for a week or two, and improve with age

Vanessa Kimble: "Cardamom merges with rich cocoa and soft vanilla. This terrific combination both complements and exaggerates the deeper flavours of coffee like no other biscuit I know. A traditional twice-baked, hard Italian biscuit, these fragrant biscotti can also be served with fruit fool or ice cream. Alternatively, they make an elegant sweet for a supper party. The crunch of the almonds works brilliantly with a plate of baked figs drizzled with honey and a slice of creamy Gorgonzola. It’s an effortless yet classic blend. What I really adore about these biscuits is the fact that it takes so little time to have them made and in the oven and that I pop one half of them in the freezer allowing me to cook them fresh at such sort notice! They are super-fast, super-simple sophistication."

Prep time 25 -30 minutes, cooking time 35 minutes

Makes 30

• 300g whole almonds
• 200g vanilla sugar
• 350g self-raising flour
• 50g cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 level tsp ground cardamom
• 1 level tsp course sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 6 medium eggs
• 60g chopped roasted hazelnuts
• 1 extra spoon of flour ( optional)

1. Preheat the oven 180°C/ gas mark 4. To add a good crunch to the almonds, gently toast them a heavy-based frying pan on a low heat for about 5 minutes they should become brittle and more flavoursome. Take care, though, as they burn easily.

2. In a bowl mix the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, cardamom, salt and baking powder together

3. In a food mixer beat the eggs, then slowly add the dry mix to form loose dough. *Add an extra spoon of flour if the dough looks too loose and mix further. Add the roasted almonds at the end and stirring them in gently – you don’t want to break them up.

4. Make the dough into 2 ‘logs’ about 25cm long and no more than 10cm wide. Transfer theses to a large greased baking tray, leaving a gap between the logs because they expand during baking. Sprinkle evenly with the hazelnuts.

5. Bake for 20–25 minutes. Keep a close eye on them at the end of baking as they can burn easily. Remove from the oven and cool.

6. To avoid the biscuit breaking apart as you cut through the almonds, use a very sharp knife and cut straight down, with the heel of your hand pressing on the top of the knife. Don’t saw. Cut into 2cm portions, lay each biscuit flat and return the tray to the oven. (You can freeze them at this point).

7. Bake for 10–12 minutes on each side. Don’t be tempted to overcook them. Leave on a wire rack for 1–2 hours to dry out completely, then transfer to an airtight container.

Cook's tip: The final flavour of these biscuits is significantly improved by using freshly ground cardamom. If you have the opportunity, grind up your pods with a pestle and mortar, discarding the outer green husks.