Homemade biscotti was THE holiday baking project in our house this year. Love homemade biscotti and it’s super easy to do and give as an impressive gift!

Biscotti
Makes 3-4 dozen
Time: About 1 1/4 hours

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened.
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the baking sheets.
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt

1- Preheat oven to 375. Use an electric mixer to cream together butter & sugar until light and fluffy; beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the extract.
2- Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and add it to the batter a little at a time.
3- Butter two baking sheets and dust them with flour; invert and tap them to remove excess. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a 2-inch-wide log. Place each log onto one of the baking sheets.
4- Bake until the loaves are golden and beginning to crack on top, about 30 minutes; remove the logs from oven. Lower the temp to 250.
5- When loaves are cool enough to handle, cut each on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices, using a serrated knife. Place the slices ont he sheets, return to oven and leave them there until they dry out, about 15-20 minutes, turn once. Cool on wire racks.

The variations we did with this yummy recipe are:
Vanilla biscotti, dipped in white chocolate with candy canes.
Vanilla biscotti with chocolate chips, dipped in milk chocolate with m&ms.
Almond biscotti with cranberries & almond pieces, dipped in milk chocolate & some in white chocolate with almonds.

Happy holidays everyone and thank you to my awesome clients for a great 2009! See you next year!