This year I am trying to get my holiday shopping done early. I am usually a last minute type of person, but this year my goal is to eliminate some of that pre-holiday stress so I can enjoy the season more. I like to do a little something for the neighbors each year that usually involves some kind of homemade treat. In the past I have made candied nuts or freshly baked cookies. This year I decided to stick with the baking, but I added some coffee to the gift pack. This recipe for biscotti bites is simple to make and couples perfectly with a gift of coffee. Another great recipe to make as a gift are these Candied Pecans.
When I got home, I set to work on my biscotti recipe. If you are not familiar with biscotti, they are a dry, crunchy biscuit that is twice baked and often dipped in coffee. Traditional biscotti recipes are made with almonds but feel free to omit them if you have an allergy or are just not into almonds.
I chose to make biscotti bites which are just smaller biscotti. If you wish to have longer biscotti, just roll out the dough a little more on the sides so that each loaf is wider.
After the initial baking of the biscotti they get cut and then baked again on each side. That is what gives them their crunch!
You can see how beautifully golden brown they are after their second baking. This is a very versatile recipe and you can easily tweak this basic biscotti recipe by adding raisins, cranberries, other nuts, or dipping in melted chocolate.
These biscotti taste even better the day after they are made so feel free to make them in advance.
Imagine the smile on your neighbor's face when they open up their gift box and see these yummy biscotti and delicious coffee!
In addition to neighbors, this gift idea is perfect for teachers, the mailman, the gardener and all those people who help make life a little easier!
Almond Biscotti Bites
Ingredients
- ½ cup oil
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 ¼ cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup slivered almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until thoroughly mixed..
- In a medium bowl combine flour and baking power.
- Pour into the large bowl with the wet mixture, add almonds, and combine until a sticky dough forms.
- Divide the dough into two equal loafs and pull each piece until it is the length of your cookie sheet and about 2 inches wide.
- Bake for 25 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Remove from oven and slice into 1 inch slices.
- Arrange cut side down on cookie sheet and place back in oven and bake for an addition 5 minutes on each side.
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