Almond Biscotti

Unlike most people these days, I have a habit of always eating "breakfast" with my coffee. This can be anything from cereal, oatmeal, eggs, donuts, pastries, etc. Pretty much anything so that the coffee doesn't go down on an empty stomach. With age, I've become more and more lactose intolerant leading me to avoid cereal on a regular basis. Also, since I've been home (unemployed) for the past 2 years or so, I've not been getting breakfast sandwiches, pasties, donuts, the unhealthy stuff one might normally grab at a deli or on the way to work.

Long story short, I noticed for the past few months that I was having oatmeal raisin granola bars. Now this may sound ok...healthy even, but not so much. Its actually quite a bit of sugar, preservatives and other things along with all the good stuff. So I recently decided to make a batch of almond biscotti to see how it might fit in. Its actually very simple to make, very few ingredients used and no preservative or artificial ingredients. I found this recipe online and made a few changes. The recipe I found also said that it would yield 42 biscotti... I was able to make about 30.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar (I use raw sugar/unrefined)
3 eggs
1 tsp almond extract and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking POWDER
pinch of salt
1/2 cup fine chopped or chunky ground almonds
~2 tsp milk

Preheat your oven to 375F. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a different bowl cream the butter and sugar until light in color. Add the eggs one at a time and mixing well. Add the extracts while stirring the mix and then quickly combine the dry ingredients. Once mixed well, add in the almonds and mix again. Separate the mix into two parts. On a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper, lightly greased...spread 1/2 the batter out into a loaf type shape about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. Repeat with the other half of the batter. You will have two loafs on one sheet. Lightly brush the tops of each loaf with milk. Bake these for 15 to 20min or until firm to the touch.

Remove tray from the oven and reduce oven to 300F, after a few minutes move the loaves (with the parchment paper) on to a wire rack. After 10 to 15 minutes cut the each loaf (at an angle) in to about 1/2 or 3/4 inch biscotti. Lay them cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for 10 min. Flip to the other side (top side down) and bake for another 10 min. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container after they've cooled completely.

These will keep for some time in an airtight container... I made these about a week or more ago and they're still pretty fresh tasting. They also go very well with my coffee in the morning! I hope you'll try these...they're great to make and store since it yields a decent quantity and are great on the run as well!

As always, happy baking!!! I will take some snap shots soon and post them.

Sweets for My Sweetie

This past weekend was Valentines Day and I decided to do something cute but low cost for my hubby. Gifts, candy, stuffed toys...all the cheesy Valentines paraphernalia is nice but impractical. Those things are nice when you get them but by the next day you're over it, the candy rarely gets eaten and the stuffed toys become pet hair collectors! So I decided to be practical and do what I do best...


With the kitchen as my playground and pantry full of goodies, I went to work. Before I continue, I should clarify that we went to NYC for the long weekend so we (I) celebrated Valentines the night before. I decided to make a nice dinner to go with a themed dessert I already had semi-planned. My husband and I both looove cream cheese frosting and since it was kind of late in the day, I decided to do fudge brownies (from a box) with cream cheese frosting. I had heart shaped muffin trays (the planned part, since I picked them up a few days before) and I added food coloring to make the frosting pink! I'll share what I made for dinner in another post but give you my cream cheese frosting recipe here.

Now I don't like things very sweet, so I'm not a big fan of frosting and like to keep the cream cheese flavor pretty noticeable in this recipe. You can add coconut flakes, thin sliced almonds and a variety of other items to this frosting and use as a layering cream.

8oz cream cheese softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter room temp
3/4 cup to 1cup powdered/confectioners sugar (depending on taste)
1/2 tspn vanilla (optional)
1 drop food coloring (for festive occasions, otherwise leave plain)

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl, beat with electric mixer until well blended. Add the vanilla and then sugar (in two parts) and continue to mix with mixer until light and fluffy. Fold in additional ingredients (coconut, almonds, etc) if you choose. Spread and refrigerate until ready to serve. Frosting will spread easy when prepared but should be kept in the refrigerator otherwise it can turn sour. If you prepare it before hand, you can keep it in the fridge but then bring to room temp before spreading.