BOOSCOTTI….BISCOTTI FOR HALLOWEEN!

or

Delicious every ‘witch’ way!!

Biscotti is on my list of things to try often & it’s something I achieve regularly. The more variety, the merrier. Browsing TWD blogs last week landed me at Gretchen’s blog @ Canela & Camino, where she was playing host to the weeks’ Tuesdays With Dorie. I have now decided to blog hop & try recipes at my own pace rather than join up with more groups because it stresses me out. I find deadlines taking a bit of the fun away sometimes, in addition to the sugar overdose the family is getting. Also, sonny boy has got into a luscious dessert habit of late, & sits there singing for his supper, expecting dessert to turn up thereafter. Mean ole me changed that as soon as I saw the habit emerging. With the holiday season coming up, there’s enough sweet popping out of everywhere.Back to my blog hopping. Made this variant of TWD’s biscotti from Gretchen’s blog with roasted almonds & dark chocolate chips. A fabulous, crunchy biscotti, with JOY in every bite! It was fun dressing up some too. I had Halloween sprinkles that my sis from Houston sends me every year, so I gave my biscotti Halloween flavour & made it into BOOscotti! The little fellow on the straw is part of the Halloween goodies I receive annually from my elder sis in Dallas! The kids have a blast with spiders, scary pumpkin faces, masks etc!

Lenox Almond Biscotti as taken from Canela & Comino
adapted from Baking From my Home to Yours
by Dorie Greenspan
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of yellow cornmeal
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of pure almond extract
3/4 cup of almonds; roasted & chopped Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cornmeal together. (If you are adding ground spices, add them to this mixture before combining.)
• Beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed for 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs and continue to beat, scraping down the bowl as needed, for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light, smooth and creamy. Beat in the almond extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. You’ll have a soft, stick-to-your-fingers dough that will ball up around the paddle or beaters. Scrape down the paddle and bowl, toss in the almonds and mix just to blend.
• Scrape half the dough onto one side of the baking sheet. Using your fingers and a rubber spatula or scraper, work the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. The log will be more rectangular than domed, and bumpy, rough and uneven. Form a second log with the remaining dough on the other side of the baking sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.
• Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board and, with a long serrated knife, trim the ends and cut the logs into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet, setting them again on the same sides as before and slide the sheet back into the oven.
• Bake the biscotti at 350F for another 25 minutes, or until they are golden and firm. Transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.

What do skeletons say before eating?
Bone-Appetit’!

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