Toast the whole almonds for 12-15 minutes in a 350 degree F oven.
Then transfer the nuts to a cutting board and roughly chop them. One of my favorite things about this biscotti is the fantastic crunch of barely chopped, practically whole almonds pebbled throughout the biscotti.
The next step is to beat the eggs and sugar until light and creamy. You will actually see the color lighten a bit as this happens over about 2-3 minutes.
Add the vanilla and almond extract (to boost that wonderful almond flavor!) and stir to combine.
Then mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mix in chopped almonds just until combined. You should be able to do this using a spatula, but if you are struggling to get everything to come together, just dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times.
Dust your hands with a little flour, then divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape into two logs approximately 9-inches by 3-inches long and wide, and ½-inch tall-ish.
I just do the shaping on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat and make sure there are a few inches between the two logs so they have room to spread.
Then bake until the loaf of biscotti starts to brown around the edges and bottom. Pull the biscotti from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cutting board and slicing into 9-10 slices per log using a sharp knife.
Lay all of the sliced biscotti cut-side down on the baking sheet, then pop back in the oven for another 10-12 minutes on both sides for a total 20-24 minutes additional cooking time until golden brown.
After cooling completely on the counter, the biscotti will harden into crunchy cookies that are just right for drizzling or dunking in melted chocolate. If you find that your biscotti haven't hardened as much as you would like, just pop them back in the oven for a bit to dry them out more.
Melt your chocolate carefully in the microwave, then use a spoon to drizzle it over the biscotti.
Or dunk ½ of each biscotti in the melted chocolate and sprinkle with a few reserved chopped, toasted almonds for decoration.
One of my very favorite treats, when it's cold outside, is a mug of hot chocolate with a piece of crunchy, almond biscotti for dunking. The dry, hard texture of these cookies enables them to soak up whatever you dip it into and convey it to your mouth.
When you drizzle or dip them in melted dark chocolate, they become an even more impressive and special treat that is perfect for gifting!