Cookies and dads

Since there was a request (and I'm not the kind of girl to withhold critical cookie information from another girl) here's the recipe for the Chocolate Orange Biscotti I made yesterday. The plastic spatula bits are optional, but I'd leave them out altogether if I were you...

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 cup pecans, lightly toasted, coarsely chopped
6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate, chopped


Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then Grand Marnier and orange peel. Add flour mixture and beat until blended. Stir in pecans and chocolate. Gather dough together; divide in half. Wrap in plastic and freeze 20 minutes to firm.

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Using floured hands, form each dough piece into 14-inch-long, 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until light golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer parchment with logs to rack. Cool 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Place 1 log on cutting board. Using serrated knife, cut log on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Stand slices upright on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining log.

Bake biscotti until dry to touch and pale golden, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on rack. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container.)

Makes about 3 dozen.
Bon Appetit
August 2003

This seems to be a pretty adaptable recipe. I ended up making biscotti for my Dad too, using this recipe as a base. I substituted Sugar Twin for the white sugar, and instead of the orange liqueur, I used about two teaspoons of almond extract. I also left out the chocolate chips and orange peel. The dough was much thicker than the original recipe (most likely because of the sugar substitution and the smaller amount of liquid) so I added a little bit of water to loosen it up. Maybe about 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup. Everything else I did exactly the same and they turned out great!

Enjoy!

Before I close, I want to wish fathers everywhere a very happy father's day. For those with children in heaven, I'm sending special wishes of peace to you.

And to My Beloved, who became a sweetly doting father the moment I showed him the second blue line, thank you for bravely walking through life teaching me what it means for a father to love a child he never had a chance to know. I'm grateful and blessed to be a witness to that love each and every day.

Happy Father's Day
oxox