Christmas shopping. Have you run out of money yet? Is the time crunch squeezing the fun out of your holidays? If you’re like me, now that the kids are out of school, you’ll have them underfoot or in tow while trying to pull together the final touches for another perfect Christmas. After all, memories are made this time of year, right?
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A fabulous (and productive) activity for you and the kids is the traditional baking of Christmas cookies. But forget about those plain old sugar cookies. They’re great, but how about a trendy spin on Christmas cookies this year? The neighbors and friends will love a bag filled with gourmet biscotti this holiday season! (Be sure to snap some photos of the kids in the kitchen for next year’s Christmas cards.)
Here’s my basic peanut butter biscotti recipe. If you’re a seasoned cook, you can easily amend this recipe to accomodate fun flavors and nutty combinations, just keep the consistency of the batter and primary ingredients the same, and you can create your own delicacies.
Peanut Butter Biscotti Recipe
2 3/4 cup flour 1 3/4 cup sugar 1 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 3 beaten eggs 1/3 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients. Fold in eggs, peanut butter, and water if needed (to keep a solid consistency, water is a variable within the recipe). Stir in nuts. Roll dough into a log and flatten into a brick approximately 1″ thick. Bake 40 minutes, then let cool. Slice brick into strips (size does not matter), brush with egg whites, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20 minutes.
For variations, I’ve used the following combinations and omitted the peanuts and peanut butter. Remember, use water to maintain a good consistency in the dough.
dried cranberries and almonds cinnamon chips and cinnimon sugar on top chocolate chips and walnuts with drizzled chocolate on top cocoa and hazelnuts, espresso in lieu of water, and white chocolate drizzled on top mint extract, cocoa, and chocolate chips canned pumpkin and walnuts ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pecans
You can make mini biscotti by slicing the brick into 2″x1/2″ strips prior to the second baking. Package the treats in a gift bag or jar. Add a small bag of gourmet coffee for the coffee lovers.
Coming Soon: Keep an eye out for my holiday craft, Gingerbread Man Pot. It’s a wonderful, reusable gift to package holiday treats in.