Biscotti

The temp outside this morning was 0'F...ZERO!!  This afternoon it made it up to 5'F. Someone please take me away to the Caribbean!!!  There is no way I'm going outside in these freezing temperatures.  I am staying warm and toasty inside with a hot cup of tea and some delicious homemade biscotti.  Its so good it tastes like something from a fancy coffee cafe.  The word biscotti comes from Italy and translated to English means twice cooked.  The definition makes perfect sense when you're following the recipe and realize you need to bake these cookies twice.  This process gives the cookies the hard crunchiness they require to stand up to being dunked in a hot cup of coffee or tea. Stay warm my friends!

1/2 cup slivered almonds (or pecans)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350'F.  In a bowl combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and 3/4 cup of sugar until creamy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Add flour mixture; mix well.  Stir in the almonds.  Divide dough in half.  Form each half into a 7 x 2-inch log.  Lightly spray a cookie pan with nonstick cooking spray or cover with parchment paper.  Place each log on the pan about 4" apart.  Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of sugar.  Bake 30 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and place on a cooling rack.  Let the logs cool on the pan for 15 minutes.  Carefully remove logs from pan and place on a cutting board.  Using a serrated knife, gently cut logs diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Arrange slices upright on cookie pan about 1" apart.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until dry and crisp.  Cool completely on cooling rack.  Store in tightly covered container.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

Source:  Pampered Chef "More Stoneware Sensations"