Rome isn’t known for a lot of desserts but what it lacks in quantity it certainly makes up for in quality! These square cookies (biscotti quadrati) are delicious with honey and nuts. You will not be able to stop eating these!
The Recipe
by volume by weight
crust:
1¼ cups all purpose flour 150 grams all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 grams baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt 2 grams salt
2 tablespoons sugar 24 grams sugar
1/2 cup butter 113 grams butter
1 large egg 68 grams egg
topping:
1/2 cup honey 170 grams honey
1/4 cup brown sugar 50 grams brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 gram salt
4 tablespoons butter 56 grams butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream 15 grams heavy cream
3/4 cup whole almonds 105 grams whole almonds
1/2 cup hazelnuts 75 grams hazelnuts
1/3 cup pine nuts 45 grams pine nuts
Directions
Heat the oven to 375F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8 inch square pan with foil and butter the foil. Blend all crust ingredients together except the egg until the mixture resemble coarse meal.
Add the egg and mix just to combine.
Press the dough into the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 15 minutes just until the dough is beginning to brown around the edges.
Lightly toast the almonds, hazelnuts, and pine nuts until they are fragrant. I like to do this in a saute pan on the top of the stove but it can also be done on a sheet pan in the oven.
Bring the honey, brown sugar, and salt to a boil until the sugar is dissolved.
Boil without stirring for 2 minutes.
Add the butter and cream and boil and stir for 1 minute. Add all the nuts and stir to thoroughly coat.
Spread evenly over the baked crust and bake for 15 minutes until the top is caramelized and bubbling. Make sure there are bubbles all over the surface of the mixture and rotate the pan if necessary if there are hot spots in your oven.
Cool completely. Use the edges of the foil as a handle to lift the bars out of the pan. Flip them over and carefully peel off the foil.
Use a sharp knife to cut into the desired size pieces.
Alternatives
I love this combination of nuts but you can use any you like. A combination of pistachios and almonds would be particularly good and both nuts are native to Italy. You could also add a bit of spice to add a warm flavor to the biscotti quadrati. Cinnamon or allspice would be excellent choices.
