Cookie-baking and other holiday randomness

[thegrrrl2002]

I just finished baking three batches of biscotti--almond, chocolate chocolate chip, and chai tea biscotti. The chai tea biscotti are awesome. This is the first time I made them and I was quite pleased by the results. Next up will be cinnamon biscotti, walnut biscotti, and gingerbread biscotti. And oh, yes I do want to try these cappuccino biscotti. Then I have to hide them all (from myself and my husband) until it's time to head out and visit the family for the holidays.

I've been making biscotti for the holidays for a few years now. All the recipes I've used are ones I've found on-line, which makes me realize we don't have much in the way of a family tradition for baking. My mother makes cheesecake or creampuffs for holiday desserts, and I don't get along well with dairy (not lactose intolerance, but allergies, I suspect) so I tend to avoid those. My sisters don't bake much at all (we all like to focus on the serious business of COOKING, heh.) I'm not very fond of baking either, I'm far too willy nilly for it to always work but for some reason I like making biscotti. Sawing up the little loaves of cookie amuses me, I guess.

My italian grandmother used to bake these cookie-like objects known as knots, which were rock-hard and not very sweet. They struck fear into the heart of all children (I guess we didn't have any coffee to dunk them in?). My mother modified the recipe to use cream cheese, which softens them up a bit, but by then the damage was done. I just don't like them.

So I'm starting to think of the biscotti as self-defense against the cream cheese knots and cream puffs and cheesecake I will be faced with over Christmas.

Anyone else have tales of holiday treats that are anything but? :D

Now I must go and drizzle melted chocolate over my almond biscotti.

And in conclusion:


Alex, are you hugging Scotty or dancing with him?

Comments

[dogeared.livejournal.com]

I AM SO MESMERIZED. (Also, YUM biscotti, those all sound DELICIOUS. :D)

[finduilas-clln.livejournal.com]

I very much like your conclusion. And to answer your question, both! Totally both! Wouldn't you?

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

THEY SHOULD HUG ALLLL THE TIME.

The biscotti are quite good! I think! I'm starting to hit biscotti overload, but fortunately the husband is willing to taste test for me. He's generous that way.

Hug him again, Alex! And again!

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes yes yes! That and many other things. :D

[destina.livejournal.com]

That gif is so hypnotic! Also, your biscotti deliciousness is making me very very hungry. :D

[finduilas-clln.livejournal.com]

As soon as they reached their trailer, I'm fairly certain they did those other things, yes. :)

[oxoniensis.livejournal.com]

Those chai tea biscotti sound delicious! I'm puzzled by the 'tablespoon of black tea' though - what's that, some sort of powder? I have green tea powder (which is awesome in soya smoothies), but I've never heard of black tea powder.

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Heh. :D

Well hello there, handsome Alex in your icon!

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

I could watch them hug all day. :D

The biscotti are quite tasty, and very easy to make! Trust me. I wouldn't be making them otherwise.

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

I just used regular black tea--it's about three teabags worth. It has to be the kind that's sort of ground up into smaller bits, rather than leafy. I had some oolong I wanted to use but once I took a good look at it I was afraid it was too chunky to use.

[oxoniensis.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't have thought of that - sounds good! Thanks.

[finduilas-clln.livejournal.com]

Handsome Alex is handsome. And hot. And sexy. And totally shagable.

[pennyplainknits.livejournal.com]

oooh biscotti! I want to try them :D

Today I made tiny meringues (to be dipped in dark chocolate tomorrow) and nutella fudge. It's all go on the holiday baking!

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

Awn, now you've made me hungry!

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome! I know, it sounds weird, doesn't it? But it totally works.

[oxoniensis.livejournal.com]

A little weird, yes. I'm used to using tea in baking, just not like this! But they do sound delicious. And the coffee ones do too.

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Now see, you make all the super complicated stuff! I love meringues, but I don't think it's anything I'd ever try to make. The biscotti are simple, although the dough can be a sticky mess. But they are indeed tasty.

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

They're very easy to make! And very tasty! Although I'm hitting biscotti overload right now.

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

Mmm! You've made me long for my stepmom's Christmas biscotti, which she makes with little bits of fruit--just a couple more weeks til I see her & she delivers my batch!

Do you happen to have the recipe for the chocolate & chocolate almond biscotti? I'd like to try making them...

And Steve & Danny are never not cute together...

[gunslingaaahhh.livejournal.com]

that gif makes me lol so bad haha, like when alex goes to kind of shuffle/step back, scotty is almost pulled onto tip-toe.

that and the "whoops, we cant have the entire front of our bodies touching during this hug, that would look awkward; quick, lets put some distance between our pelvises!" shuffle happening there.

[ms-artisan.livejournal.com]

YUMMM! Okay, that was originally for the biscotti, but transferred pretty quickly to your conclusion ;)

(and I think AOL had a moment of 'oops, I am suddenly very groin-to-groin with my do-star, better fix that!' Whereas SC was all 'c'mon dude, it's HUGGING'. :D )

[verasteine.livejournal.com]

All I'm taking away from this post is CHOCOLATE and BOYS HUGGING. I'm happy :).

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Oooh, those biscotti sound very intriguing. I've seen a few recipes for various dried fruit biscotti, maybe I'll try some of those, too.

The chocolate biscotti recipe is here:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/double-chocolate-biscotti/

And the almond one, here:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-nut-biscotti/
I use a cup of slivered almonds instead of hazelnuts, and almond extract instead vanilla. And I just use regular semisweet chocolate for the dip. I love the texture of these, they're actually quite delicate for a biscotti.

Have fun!

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Aw, he is pulled up onto his tip toes, that is adorable! :D I hadn't noticed before. And that is a whole lot of body contact right there. Sweet.

They are so damn cute.

[gunslingaaahhh.livejournal.com]

ive spent a, uh, lot of time watching that moment.