These are wonderful with tea or coffee, or as the Tuscans do – dip into a shot of liqueur for dessert. Get creative with different flavour combinations if you like – another favourite flavour is dark chocolate with finely chopped rosemary.
Preheat oven to 180C and line two baking trays with paper.
Combine the eggs, vanilla, sugar and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment and beat for a few minutes, until pale and fluffy.
Sift in the flour and bicarbonate soda and fold together. Fold in the hazelnuts.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring together into a disc shape.
Cut into three even pieces and shape these into logs, about 7cm width.
Place on the lined trays (leaving plenty of space between the two logs) and bake for 30 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden and are firm to touch.
Let cool for about 10 minutes then with a serrated knife, slice into biscuits, about 1cm thick.
Return these to the baking trays and bake for another 25 minutes or until biscuits are dry and golden brown. Let the biscotti cool on a wire rack.