I’ve learned that biscotti means twice baked.  Interesting, no?  I always wanted to make it but I was afraid it was too hard. Silly me.  Wasn’t hard at all.

I found a biscotti recipe I like, but I changed it some to suit me.  Actually, I change it all of the time because I add different things to it.  Just a simple base recipe, I’ve put in carob chips, dried cranberries with cinnamon and cloves, white chocolate, macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts, you get the idea.  Play around with it a bit.  I find that a teaspoon of cinnamon adds alot to the carob chip.  You could cut back on the flour and add oats instead.  Like I said, it’s a base recipe that leaves you plenty of room for play.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup white sugar

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use 1 1/4 cups whole wheat and 2 cups all-purpose.  You can change it around a bit, but more whole wheat makes your biscotti crumbly and hard to work with.

3 eggs

1 tablespoon baking powder

1  tablespoon anise, vanilla, or almond extract.  I like vanilla or almond myself

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F .
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and anise flavoring until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2 inch thickness.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. When The cookies are cool enough to handle, slice each one crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Slices should be lightly toasted.