Traditional Italian Cookies
Congratulations! You have just found the best Biscotti this side of the Atlantic. Perfect for dunking in your favorite beverage. Coffee, tea, milk - or perhaps the traditional Italian way - in your favorite wine. Italians have been dunking biscotti for centuries and now the rest of the world is joining in.
Mama Chisari's handmade Biscotti are made in the true Italian tradition with only the freshest and finest ingredients available. Unlike commercial cookies hers do have butter, shortening or oils added. Vivian Chisari, aka Mama Chisari, prepares all our pastries by hand. She only uses unbleached flour, pure cane sugar, fresh eggs, chocolate, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, pure flavors, and leavening. Handmade and rolled just like grandma used to make. Ummmmmm Ummm...good! Only one variety - Chocolate Hazelnut has no butter or oil.
Six Biscotti Varieties
Today we offer six different Biscotti varieties ranging from the traditional almond-favored to our newest addition the Orange-Cranberry:
Each of the twice-baked Biscotti cookies is individually wrapped in a FDA approved cello bag for a long shelf life.
The Italians use the term biscotti to refer to any type of cookie. In North America, biscotti is used to describe a long, dry, hard twice-baked cookie with a curved top and flat bottom designed for dunking into wine or coffee. The name biscotti is derived from 'bis' meaning twice in Italian and 'cotto' meaning baked or cooked.
Biscotti is said to have originated during Columbus's time and credited to an Italian baker who originally served them with Tuscan wines. They became so popular that every province developed their own flavored version. Because of their long storage ability they were an ideal food for sailors, soldiers, and fisherman. Traditionally biscotti were almond flavored as almonds were readily available in Italy and nearby countries. Today these popular Italian cookies have dried fruits, chocolate, different varieties of nuts, seeds and spices in them. Frequently they are iced with melted chocolate or frostings, and topped with nuts and even colored sprinkles.
The sticky dough is first shaped into a 12 inch log and baked until firm. After a short cooling period, the log is sliced into diagonal slices and baked again to draw out the moisture thus producing a crisp, dry textured cookie that has a long shelf life. Recipes containing butter or oil will have a softer texture and will not keep as long as the traditional recipes that only use eggs to bind the ingredients together.
The M. Cramer & Associates brand has served customers for over 30 years, offering a range of services and solutions offered by both our legacy businesses – M. Cramer & Associates Inc. and Philadelphia