"Fruity not fatty"

That was the response when I asked my fellow intern what treat she wanted for our next call.  Fruity, not fatty.  Hmm...actually, I immediately had a recipe in mind!  I had seen this recipe a week or two earlier on Emily's blog and knew that at some point I wanted to try it.

I haven't made biscotti in quite a while but they are wonderful little treats.  Some versions are very crunchy and do best when enjoyed when eaten with a cup of coffee or tea.  Others are soft enough to eat on their own.  These fall into the later category.  Quite often the softer versions are more of a cookie in ingredient content, having 1/2 cup of butter or oil.  These, however, achieved a soft texture without that amount of oil.  It only has 3 Tablespoons and I may have used less...I don't know...didn't measure!  :-)

When I tasted the dough prior to baking, the rice flour was a bit overwhelming in taste (probably due in part to using BROWN rice flour instead of white rice flour, but it's what I have...and I have decided that I really like rice flour, BTW).  So, I added an extra banana.  Let me tell you, these biscotti were SO good!  Not overwhelmingly banana but you could definitely taste it.  I would totally make these again.  Oh, and if you have cinnamon chips...they go great in these!  Thanks for a fantastic recipe, Emily!

Chocolate Chip Coconut-Banana Biscotti (adapted from Emily at Sugar Plum)
(Gluten-free)

2 cups brown rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and cinnamon chips (a total of 1/2 cup)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 large egg
3 tablespoons oil
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large cookie sheet with cooking spray or get baking stone out.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together rice flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until well combined; whisk in coconut and chocolate until combined. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together banana, egg, oil and vanilla until well combined; stir dry ingredients into liquid, until well combined and moistened.

Divide dough and shape into two (7 1/2 x 3–inch) logs on cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes; transfer logs to wire racks to cool an additional 20 minutes.

Transfer to a cutting board and cut rolls diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees; bake 10 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake an additional 10 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire racks.

Makes about 2 dozen biscotti (though I'm pretty sure I got about 3 dozen)

Gingerbread Biscotti

And the last of the Christmas Tin cookies! This was a last minute decision because of the failure of my mint thumbprints and the pumpkin fudge. I saw the recipe for these gingerbread biscotti at Picky Palate. I thought they looked pretty good...but almost ruined them because of my lack of a kitchen timer...don't worry, I bought one at Wal-mart the other day! Anyway, instead of being baked twice, I just baked them for the entire time at once...totally by accident! However, they still turned out the texture of properly baked biscotti! I even got a couple of nice compliments. My mom's best friend said they tasted like the kind you buy and my aunt said they were better than Starbuck's! So, I'd say this recipe is a keeper. Gingerbread Biscotti from Picky Palate

1 1/4 cups flour
1 Cup whole wheat flour
1-1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1-1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 bag of white chocolate chips (Picky Palate used cinnamon chips)
1/4 cup molasses
2 large eggs

2 Cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place flours, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, baking soda pecans and cinnamon chips in the bowl of a stand mixer. In a medium bowl, mix eggs with molasses. Pour in egg mixture to dry ingredients until well combined. Divide dough into 2 equal parts and form into 10 inch logs 4 inches apart onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Each log should be about 2 inches wide. Bake for about 30 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut each log into ½ inch pieces on the diagonal. Place back onto the baking sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until nice and crispy. Remove and let cool completely. OR if you mess up and cook it for around 45 minutes in one sitting by accident, just cut the pieces and let cool! Don't cook any more!

Place chocolate chips into a double broiler over boiling water. Melt until smooth or follow package direction for microwave melting...I usually do it in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one. Dip the top half of each biscotti into melted chocolate and place onto wax paper to dry.

Berry, Berry, Berry, Berry Christmas

One of the things that I've discovered is biscotti. These are the perfect little snacks to go with coffee or tea. Some are really hard and must be dipped, others are softer and can be eaten without dipping. I've made biscotti before with a recipe that uses no oil or butter. Those end up being of the harder form. This recipe, from Allrecipes, uses olive oil. I thought this was a GREAT idea, since biscotti is an Italian treat and olive oil is often used in that region.

The only problem I had with these biscotti is that, because they are softer, they break easily when being transferred. I like the combination of cranberries and pistachios. I only had a cup of nuts but would definitely recommend using the full cup and a half. I also had to shell all my nuts, so if you want to decrease the preparation time, get pre-shelled nuts! Also, I didn't use any almont extract. I didn't have any but don't like the flavor it has. Most importantly, share some with you favorite Santa and enjoy with a mug of hot coffee, tea, chocolate, or even some chilled milk! Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

1/4 cup light olive oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups pistachio nuts

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

Real Biscotti

What goes with coffee better than coffee cake? Biscotti! This wonderfully crispy, textured cookie is not only flavorful but great for dipping. Yes, some people may claim that it is not edible UNLESS it is dipped, but I argue differently. You simply must have a good recipe. However, if you insist upon dipping there are many different options for the dipping liquid. Try coffee, tea, or milk. I'm sure hot chocolate would even work!

The recipe I use is from Giada DiLourentes. Because of this, I tend to think that it is more accurate to the Italian roots of this cookie. Although the original recipe calls for citrus zests, you can play around with what you add into the dough. I've done almonds, bluberries, craisins, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and pecans; all of these were delicious. My only warning is to put these INTO the dough. As you see from the picture, I put the WCC's on top of the dough. This doesn't work well. The chips just browned and fell off! Here is the recipe. Also, I use corn meal and have used splenda with no negative consequences. Put this to use and ENJOY!!!