Holiday Biscotti

It's that time of year. The time when you can start making, baking, sending, and sharing food gifts, if you so desire.
I made these Holiday Biscotti a couple of weeks ago when a group of women from church got together to share some ideas for Edible Holiday Gifts.
I hadn't ever made this particular biscotti recipe before, but with dried cranberries and pistachios, these just seemed like the perfect Christmas treat.
They also have lemon zest which makes the flavor really great.
I dipped some in white chocolate and some in white almond bark-which I think holds up better because it doesn't melt. I also left some plain.
These were really good. I recommend them for anyone who likes biscotti. They have great flavor and would make a great gift. Plus, they look pretty with the red and green which happen naturally.
Try them out and send them to someone you love. They will be thankful! (Make sure you taste one first!)


Recipe for Holiday Biscotti

Tuesdays with Dorie-Lenox Almond Biscotti and Macadamia, Lime, and Dried Cherry Biscotti

This week's recipe was chosen by Gretchen of Canela & Comino. Check out her blog for the recipe or go to NPR where this recipe is posted. But really you should just be able to turn to page 141 of Dorie's Baking from my home to yours, because I know you all realize by now that you should own this book! Don't the goodies look good? Well, they are, and if you don't have this Cookbook you are seriously missing out, in my opinion.
A couple of weeks ago I saw a beautiful picture of biscotti on Steph's blog, A Whisk and A Spoon. She made some beautiful Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti and put them in a glass cup with a ribbon. So, I copied her idea.Mine didn't turn out nearly as cute as hers, but it was the best I could come up with. At least I am giving her the credit right? What really happened to these biscotti, both batches, was that they got packed up really tight and were shipped to a lucky soldier for Operation Baking GALS. I figured that since biscotti are already crisp, it wouldn't matter if they sat in the mail for a week or two. Hope they tasted good!

I made 2 batches. The first was plain, Lenox Almond Biscotti and the second were Macadamia, Lime, and Dried Cherry Biscotti. I only kept the very ends, so we really didn't get to taste too much of these. Out of the scraps that we tasted though, the Macadamia version were much more popular. These turned out rather flat, but I think that is because I didn't shape the logs into precisely the measurements that Dorie suggested. I got close enough and decided that was fine.

I had to bake them for longer than suggested, but other than that, this was a pretty simple recipe. To see all the other gorgeous Biscotti, check out the Tuesday's with Dorie Blogroll! Coming up next week-Pumpkin Muffins, yum!

Cookie Carnival-Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Yes, my friends, I have joined in on Cookie Carnival.

I saw so many yummy cookies floating around last month and I decided I could use some fun cookie recipes that are not picked by me. This month we got to try Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti. I had some very excited family members due to great memories of last month's DB Challenge. We loved these, although we didn't eat too many since I decided they would be a good cookie to send to my brother-in-law, Russ, who I am hosting Operation Baking GALS for this month. These was a lot of nibbling and luckily, not all of the biscotti would fit in the box. These were great, an easy first time biscotti making experience for me. I will probably make these again because everyone here love the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate!
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BISCOTTI from The Bakehouse via Bon Appetit
1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked
3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Grind 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts in processor. Set aside. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Beat butter and sugar in another large bowl to blend. Add eggs and vanilla and almond extracts and beat until well blended. Beat in flour mixture. Mix in 1 cup whole toasted hazelnuts, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece on baking sheet into 2 1/2-inch-wide by 14-inch-long log. Place logs on prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart (logs will spread during baking). Bake until logs feel firm when tops are gently pressed, about 35 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 15 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
Using long wide spatula, transfer baked logs to cutting board. Using serrated knife, cut warm logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Arrange slices, cut side down, on 2 baking sheets. Bake biscotti until firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool completely. (Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti can be prepared ahead. Store in airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.)