Traditional Italian Biscotti with Honey

After four days abroad I've decided that Italy is amazing. (Shocker, I know.) We're close to wrapping up the styling and photography workshop I'm attending in the Italian Riviera, and I'm so enraptured by the beauty and traditions of this country. It helps that workshop organizer Annette Joseph is extraordinarily passionate and knowledgeable about her adopted home country. I couldn't have had a better guide for my first—but certainly not my last—trip here!

Of course it hasn't been all play! We're here to learn, after all, and we've been shooting and styling nonstop. Even in a short amount of time I've seen my skills improve, in large part due to the guidance of the experts here on site. Yesterday we were joined by Italian food blogger Giulia Scarpaleggia of Jul's Kitchen. She treated us to a cooking lesson, during which she showed us how to make her grandmother's traditional Italian biscotti recipe!

We followed along with Giulia through our viewfinders, snapping away to capture her process as she measured flour, grated orange zest, and drizzled honey into her mixing bowl. With a few quick stirs she created a smooth and creamy dough that she formed into logs. Then into the oven they went, where they called to us with the incredible fragrance of warm honey and roasting almonds! 

After the biscotti were sliced and arranged in a bowl, it was our moment to dive in and devour them—with our cameras, that is! Then, after everyone had filled their memory cards with mouthwatering photos, we finally got to enjoy the treat that had been torturing us all afternoon. But there's no doubt that these scrumptious beauties were worth the wait! Head to Giulia's blog to get her traditional Italian biscotti recipe as well as the charming story behind them, and stay tuned for more tasty workshop details!