Wise Sons Mandelbread

1 cup slivered almonds

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, for finishing

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toast the almonds in the oven for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees.

2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir well to mix.

3. In another bowl, whisk eggs briskly. Add sugar and whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla and oil.

4. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture until all flour is absorbed. Fold in almonds.

5. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface; press dough into a cohesive mass, then divide in half and roll each into a log the length of your baking sheet, i.e., 14 to 18 inches.

6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Place logs in pans and flatten slightly. Sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar. Bake until well-risen and firm, about 20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Let cool.

7. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the baked logs diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place cinnamon-sugar mixture in a shallow dish and turn the cut cookies in it. Return biscotti to the pans, cut side down, and bake until dry and crisp, up to 10 minutes longer.

-- Leo Beckerman, Wise Sons Deli, San Francisco