Pecan Biscotti

I don't know about you, but I like to dip crunchy cookies into tea or milk and then gobble them down just before they start to disintegrate and fall to the bottom of my cup. Most often the cookie that fits the bill is biscotti. If you like to improvise when you bake, you'll like making biscotti. Once you get the wet and dry ingredients mixed, feel free to add various kinds of nuts, chocolate chips, dried cranberries and extracts. As my mother always says, "whatever floats your boat." I wouldn't go hog wild by adding many varieties of nuts or flavorings in a single batch. Remember when you mixed too many paint colors in elementary school and ended up with an ugly brown? That's what will happen here. You'll have too many competing flavors and a cookie that will be ready for the trash can.

Biscotti literally means twice cooked in Italian and that's exactly what you do. It's easiest to make biscotti using a food processor. If you don't have one you could always use one of those pesky Bed, Bath & Beyond 20% off coupons that clog your mailbox. Head over to the Beyond department and treat yourself.

If you don't want to invest in a food processor, you can still make biscotti. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until well mixed and then add the wet ingredients.

This recipe for pecan biscotti is adapted from the book, got milk? the cookie book, by Peggy Cullen. This book has great photos and many wonderful cookie recipes. It also provides the basics of cookie making and troubleshooting tips in an easy and fun format.

Pecan Biscotti

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 1 t sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 stick cold, unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans (toast on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, shaking pan once or twice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease lightly with butter.

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine flour with 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse about five times to blend the dry ingredients. Cut butter into small cubes and add to dry ingredients. Pulse 10 to 15 times in one second intervals until butter pieces are very small, but still visible.

In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs and vanilla. Pour over the dry ingredients. Pulse a few more times to blend. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans (whole or pieces) and pulse about three to five more times. Tip: don't chop the nuts too finely or they will disappear in the dough and you want some large pieces to remain. Dough should be moist and even in color.

Turn dough out onto table and gather into one ball, making sure to moisten any dry spots by using the heel of your hand to mix dough. Divide dough into two equal parts.

Form each into a 12 inch log. Transfer logs to the prepared baking sheet, leaving ample room for each to spread as they bake. Flatten logs so each is about 2 inches wide. Sprinkle logs with a mixture of cinnamon sugar (1/4 t cinnamon and 1 t granulated sugar).


Baked logs


Cut log


Back in the oven

Bake for 30 minutes. Log should begin to turn golden. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes. Leave oven on.

Transfer logs to a cutting board. Using a large, sharp knife (a chef's knife works well), cut each log crosswise on a diagonal, each piece 1/2 inch thick. It's important not to let the logs cool too much or it will be impossible to cut the cookies without major crumbling. Arrange cookies cut side up on the baking sheets and bake 7 to 10 minutes, until the cookies begin to brown slightly. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cool completely and harden on baking sheet.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.


Cookie Press Review

I'm a huge fan of these crunchy, cinnamony, pecany, cookies. Full of flavor, I could eat them by the dozen (and have!). These are adult cookies. I doubt kids would find them too satisfying since they are not overly sweet.

Cookie press rating: 4 cookies (out of five)