Method

Find your largest baking trays, you may need 3 or 4, cover them with a sheet of foil.

Heat oven to 180C or 160C for a good fan oven.

Separate the eggs, put whites in the largest bowl, and the yolks in a medium bowl.

With a hand mixer beat the egg whites to a still peak, then add 175g sugar and beat to a thick meringue.

Clean the beaters and then beat the egg yolks with the second 175g sugar until they turn pale and begin to thicken. Beat until the sugar starts to dissolve.

Add the vanilla and almond extracts to the yolk mix, blend together.

Now add to egg whites and gently fold together.

Before fully mixed add the whole and ground almonds, cornmeal then sift flour and bicarbonate over the mix.

Fold together gently until just mixed.

Using a large spoon, scoop the mixture onto the trays into strips no wider than 5cm. Or if you have disposable piping bags, spoon mix into bags then cut nozzle 5cm wide and pipe onto trays.

The strips need space to spread so allow about 5cm between strips if you have room on the trays for more than one strip.

Dredge with caster sugar.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Leave to cool on the tray,overnight is best.

Take the strips off the trays and slice into 1.5cm biscotti, put back on the trays and bake again at 160C/140C for about 40-50 minutes, until the almonds have started to toast.

Allow to cool.

Watch them disappear!