Up until a handful of years ago, I didn't even know what biscotti was. Earlier this week, for some reason, the idea of making butter pecan biscotti popped into my head. Of course I had to act on it! When I showed Dominic what I had made, he picked one up, looked at it and said "it has walnuts." I have tried multiple times to explain to him that there are pecans, not walnuts in the biscotti. I was pretty sure Dominic would eat it, because earlier in the week he ate part of a granola bar that had peanuts and almonds in it, so I figured since he had almonds (which he has never eaten before) he would eat pecans. WRONG!! After he fully inspected the biscotti, he put it back down on the plate. I grabbed it and ate it. Dominic is missing out, these are yummy!!!!
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Parchment paper is my new best friend - it saves time because you don't have to wash the cookie sheets so often, you just toss the parchment paper in the trash! In a large bowl, beat the butter, white sugar and brown sugar with an electric mixer or by hand with a large spoon until smooth. Next, add the eggs, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder and salt. Combine well with the large spoon and then "fold" in the pecans. Using your hands or the spoon (I like to use my hands), split the dough in half and gently form two "logs" each measuring eleven inches long and five inches wide. Put in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the logs comes out clean. You don't want soggy biscotti!! Pull out of the oven and let them hang out on the cookie sheets for five minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut each log into 12 pieces and then place cut side down back on the cookie sheets. I was able to fit the 24 slices back onto one cookie sheet. Bake for an additional 20 minutes and then remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. If you want to make an easy glaze, in a small bowl put 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and add one tablespoon of water. Mix with fork or spoon until smooth. Drizzle evenly over all 24 biscotti. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea!!!
