Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Place the almonds on one of the baking sheets and toast them for 5-7 minutes until lightly fragrant. Let them cool completely and then roughly chop them so they are halved. Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add in the 2 eggs. Add in the vin santo (or milk and vanilla extract) and the honey, and mix the ingredients using a fork, gradually incorporating the dry ingredients around the wet ingredients until a dough forms. Add in the chopped almonds and continue mixing using your hands so the almonds are evenly distributed throughout the dough (it will be sticky).
4. Shape the dough into 2 thin logs about ¾ inches high and 1½ inches wide and flatten them slightly–do this directly on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Keep the logs of dough about 3 inches apart since they will spread slightly. Beat the egg yolk with 1 Tablespoon of water and brush each log lightly with the egg wash.
5. Bake the dough logs until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the dough logs from the oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack. Let the dough logs cool on the baking sheet until they are barely warm. Once they have cooled off, transfer the dough logs to a cutting board and using a sharp, serrated knife, slice the dough logs into ¾-inch slices.
6. Place the cantuccini on their sides on the baking sheets and bake them an additional 20-25 minutes until light golden, dry, and crisp. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
7. Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. The cookies can last up to 2 weeks, or a bit longer, but are best eaten within a few days.