Biscotti, Biscotti, Biscotti!

I know my husband thinks I have nothing better to do than shop on line, well that's only sort of true.  Seriously, when I find a great deal, and I love it, I mean what would you do?  Exactly! That's what I thought! 

So I found this and sent him an email, one of those "your wife found this and loves it".  When he arrived home from work later that evening I got the response I was dreading just a bit.  "Why do you send me those things, you know our goals...."  Etc, etc, etc.  Well, I haven't spent my life in sales for nothing, so of course I proceed to tell him the benefits of us owning this pretty little pasrty box...I would fill it full of homemade biscotti of his favorite flavors, just for him to enjoy with his morning coffee.  They would be there for him when he arrives home from a hard day's work, for a light snack while waiting to be served some fabulous creation for dinner.  I then went on to explain the quality of all the items I have ever purchased from Napa Style... blah, blah blah.  Then, I hit him where I knew he would see the logic and good sense of this purchase, IT'S ON SALE!! 

He then proceeds to tell me that IF he was a great guy, he would have pulled out his credit card and it would be shipped to our door in a few days. Was I serious about the fresh baked biscotti and I better not back out on my promise to fill it because, in fact, it was already on it's way.  Angel of my heart.

So that's what I did.  I baked 12 dozen fresh baked biscotti of three different flavors!

They are so easy and fun to make!

First, this wonderful Granola Biscotti, with freshly made granola that is then baked into the biscotti.  The popular breakfast snack imparts a wholesome oat crunch to these cookies.

Granola Biscotti

Granola Biscotti

1 C ganola (recipe follows)

2/3 C blanched sliced almonds

1/2 C butter

2/3 C light brown sugar, packed

1/3 C honey

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1-1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Prepare the granola and set aside.

To prepare biscotti dough, place nuts in a shallow pan and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool.  In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in honey, eggs and vanilla.  In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, soda and cinnamon and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture, mixing until blended.

Mix in granola and nuts.  Divide dough in half.  On a greased and floured baking sheet pat out into two logs about 1/2 inch high, 1-1/2 inches wide and 14 inches long, spacing at least 2 inches apart.  Bake in the middle of a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Transfer from the baking sheet to a rack.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Place on a cutting board.  With a serrated knife slice diagonally at a 45 degree angel about 3/8 inch thick.  Lay the slices flat on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 10 minutes longer, turning them over once, to dry slightly.  Let cool on a rack.  Store in a tightly covered container.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Granola

1-1/2 T olive oil or vegetable oil

1-1/2 T honey

1-1/2 T brown sugar, packed

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 C regular oatmeal

To prepare Granola, place in a small saucepan the oil, honey, sugar and vanilla.  Heat stirring, just until combined.  Spread oatmeal in a shallow baking pan.  Pour the honey mixture over the oatmeal and mix until well coated.  Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until oatmeal is slightly crisp and lightly browned, stirring twice.  Let cool.

Makes 1 cup.

Note:  I found this dough to be very loose, you may want to add a couple more tablespoons of flour to the dough.  I also baked mine on two separate baking sheets, they spread quite a bit.  The flavor is great!

Praline Biscotti

Almond candy crystals fleck these cookies with their sublime, shattering sweetness.

Praline Biscotti

Praline:

1/3 C sugar

1/3 C slivered blanched almonds

Biscotti dough:

2/3 C whole almonds

1/3 C butter

2/3 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

To prepare Praline, place sugar in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, shaking pan until sugar melts and caramelizes.  Add almonds and shake to coat nuts, then immediately pour mixture out of the pan onto a buttered sheet of foil.  Let cool.  Break candy into pieces and pulverize in a blender or processor into a fine powder.

To prepare biscotti dough, place nuts in a shallow pan and bake in a  preheated 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool.  In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture, mixing until blended.  Stir in praline.  Cut almonds into halves or thirds and fold in.  Divide dough in half.  On a greased and floured baking sheet pat out into two logs about 1/2 inch high, 1-1/2 inches wide and 14 inches long, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.  Bake in the middle of a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Transfer from baking sheet to a rack.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Place on a cutting board.  With a serrated knife slice diagonally at a 45 degree angle about 1/2 inch thick.  Lay the slices cut sided down on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 10 minutes, turning them over once, to dry slightly.  Let cool on a rack.  Store in a tightly covered container.

Makes about 3-1/2 to 4 dozen.

Our favorite!

Candied Orange Pecan Biscotti

Bittersweet chunks of candied orange peel and toasted pecans lend a delicious dimension to these biscotti.

Candied Orange Pecan Biscotti

1 C Candied Orange Peel (recipe follows)

3/4 C pecans

1/2 C butter

3/4 C sugar

2 eggs

2 T orange liqueur, or orange juice concentrate, thawed

Zest of 1 orange, minced finely

2 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Candied Orange Peel

3 oranges (use peel only)

1/2 C water

1/2 C sugar

To prepare Candied Orange Peel, peel oranges, scoring the peel into 5 or 6 sections to make them equal in size.  Place the peel in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer 10 minutes.  Drain and let cool.  With a grapefruit knife, lift off most of the white pith.  In a saucepan combine the water and sugar.  Bring to a boil and cook until dissolved.  Add peel and let simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Lift peel onto waxed paper to cool.  Makes about 1 cup candied peel.

Next I have planned Espresso Biscotti and Pistachio & Golden Raisin Biscotti