Homemade gifts: Biscotti

I love to make things. Things to eat. Things to wear. Things to look at. Things to do. Some things end up being kind of lame. Some things don't taste very good. But other things are beautiful. Or delicious. Or so totally awesome. And I get a thrill every time I finish a project. John is a great supporter - he comes to check on me when I'm buried in paper in the workroom. He follows his nose to the kitchen when something is cooking. As I speak, he's standing here smiling and chewing while sampling the s'mores cupcakes that I'm working on for dessert tonight. Seriously. 

I made several gifts for the holidays and I thought I'd start sharing a few of them. For my co-workers, I baked a couple batches of Whole Wheat Walnut Raisin Biscotti, drizzled them with white and dark chocolate, and packaged them in individual cellophane bags. I included the recipe because, in my opinion, that could be the gift that just keeps giving. :) Biscotti is insanely easy with very few ingredients. It's time consuming because it has to bake twice but I thought it was worth the time. And, it's similar to Mandel Bread, which my Grandma has been baking forever. She introduced the girls to it and they are always delighted when Grandma arrives with a batch of "crunchy bread". 

Whole Wheat Walnut Raisin Biscotti
from Everyday Food, Jan/Feb 2007

• 3/4 C organic whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C organic unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/3 C organic sugar
• 1 tsp alumninum-free baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 C walnut halves
• 1/4 C organic raisins
• 2 large organic free-range eggs
• 1 tsp organic vanilla
• Preheat oven to 350°
• Which together flours, sugar, baking powder, salt; stir in walnuts and raisins
• In different bowl, which eggs and vanilla; Add to flour mixture
• On a silpat-lined cookie sheet, pat dough into a loaf
• Bake until risen and firm, about 20-25 minutes
• Reduce oven temp to 300°
• Allow loaf to cool completely on baking sheet; transfer to cutting board and slice diagonally (will make 20-24 slices)
• Bake slices for another 25-30 minutes, turning once, until slightly golden