Almonds-Lemon Italian Biscotti

Initial Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake/toast until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Or toast until fragrant in a pan.
3. Remove from oven and let it cool slightly, then coarsely chop the almonds and set aside.

Biscotti Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, almond extract, vanilla extract in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a bowl, add the chilled butter pieces, baking powder, sugar, salt, lemon zest and mix until well combined.
4. Add in the all-purpose flour and mix until well combined with a spatula.
5. Add in the egg mixture and mix until just combined with a spatula. Don't over-mix.
6. Fold in the chopped almonds until just incorporated.
7. Divide the dough into two equal portions, pat and shape each portion into log shape and place them in the baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake until they get blond, for about 15 minutes in a 350°F pre-heated oven. Remove it from oven and let it cool for 5 minutes.
9. Then cut each log diagonally into ½ inch slices using bread knife/serrated knife.
10. Put them back on the baking sheets and bake for another 15 minutes, turning halfway through baking.
11. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack, and let them cool completely.

Notes:

• **Don't use melted or room temperature butter. Take out the butter from refrigerator, just before adding it into the flour mixture. This is to ensure that the dough is firm enough.