Please, Mom?

My youngest daughter was on the phone with me; could I please mail her sneakers to her tomorrow?


And Mom?


Do you think you could make me some biscotti and send it with the sneakers?

Please, Mom?

Oh, these daughters (and dear sons, too)

They KNOW that they are twisted around your heart.
They KNOW that you miss them.
She knew that wanting something you bake is a sure way to get those sneakers quickly too.

And I just happened to have all the ingredients I needed to make one of our favorite italian cookies:

BISCOTTI.

If you have never had biscotti, here is a quick description, below
(Click on the word "BISCOTTI" above for a more detailed Wiki explanation)

"Biscotti" is the only traditional name, which in the Italian language is the plural form of biscotto. The word originates from the medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning "twice-cooked/baked." It defined oven baked goods that were baked twice, so they were very dry and could be stored for long periods of time. Pliny the Elder boasted that such goods would be edible for centuries. Such nonperishable food was particularly useful during journeys and wars, and twice baked breads were a staple food of the Roman Legions.


For those of you who may enjoy biscotti, but have never made it yourself, I thought I would help you out and share my biscotti making operation!

The recipe I use is from the King Arthur Flour website, found here.
(I made a double batch, however.)

Chocolate-Cherry Biscotti

Soften 12 TBLS butter and place in mixing bowl.
Add 1 1/3 cup sugar

Add 1/2 tsp salt

Add 2-3 tsp vanilla extract

3 tsp baking powder

Beat on med-high speed until creamy and fluffy.

Add 4 eggs

And beat at med-high speed once again.

Mixture will be thin, and slightly curdled looking--that's OK.

Add 4 cups all purpose flour.
(I always use KA flour, by the way)

Mix in flour on low speed until well combined.

Add 1 cup of chocolate chips

And 1 cup of dried cherries (These extra ingredients are optional. Plain vanilla biscotti are delicious.
I have also used a pistachio-cranberry combo, as well as an almond extract- toasted pine nut combo..use your imagination and add up to 2-3 cups of any extra mix-in's)

Mix on low speed until incorporated into the batter.
(I did switch to the paddle attachment on my mixer...I should have started with it!)

Divide batter in half and place on 2 parchment lined cookie sheets.
Batter will be very thick and sticky.
(Do you use parchment paper? It's awesome.)

With wet hands, smooth into a long rectangular shape.

Using a plastic scraper (or a spatula) smooth the edges and top.
It helps to wet the scraper with cold water first.

Make sure the oven is pre-heated to 350 degrees

Place biscotti logs into oven--I have a convection oven, so I do both at the same time.

Bake for about 20-25 min until beginning to look golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool for about 10-15 min.

Pour some milk into a little bowl...

And brush the biscotti logs with milk, covering the top and sides.

Go read a book (or a blog) for about 15 minutes.
Move biscotti to a cutting board.

With a serrated knife, slowly cut biscotti into even slices.
Make sure you cut straight up and down.

Place biscotti (standing straight up)
back on the cookie sheet lined with the same parchment.

Lower oven temp to 325 degrees


And place biscotti back into the oven.

Bake for another 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven, until dark golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack. Biscotti will get harder and more crispy as it cools.

Mmmmm.

After I tried one (yes, only ONE!),
I split them into two ziploc bags and mailed them off to my daughter, and as a special surprise to
my homemade food deprived college student son, too.

Hope you like them, J and T....miss you both :(