Biscotti (two ways) for the cookie jar

A few weeks ago my son picked a few volumes of the Cook's Illustrated annual compendiums from the bookshelf, and asked to make one sweet thing from each year. We started at random with year 1994 and I was immediately drawn to biscotti.

Back when I worked at a cooking school more than 15 years ago, biscotti was one of the first baked goods students tackled. It is an incredibly easy and forgiving cookie, fast to make and long keeping. They pack well for hikes or lunches and because of some ethereal cache, are perfectly acceptable to munch all day long, from breakfast with coffee to a late night snack with wine.

The Cook's Illustrated recipe states: "the most flavorful biscotti are made with a small amount of fat," and although everyone in the family liked the flavor of this batch of biscotti, they were not really crunchy. The texture reminded me of Stella Dorro breakfast treats; perhaps this is a false memory, as I actually don't know if I ever ate a breakfast treat and if they are still made I don't care to sample them (ah the stubborn mule of memory). Anyway, the Cook's Illustrated biscotti was interesting and made me search through more cookbooks for other options.

The second try came from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking from My Home to Yours." This batch of biscotti, while not quite as easy to make as the ones from Cook's Illustrated, have a more-traditional crunch thanks to the inclusion of butter.

In the end I tweaked both recipes, and they are each enjoyable in their own way. If you want to bake with your kids, note that the first recipe below does not require any electric mixing -- perfect for smaller kids with the yen to make something tasty.

Honey-Nut Biscotti

(adapted from Cook's Illustrated January/February 1994)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup peanut flour (or white whole wheat flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons honey (use the best you have)

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk together the sugar, honey, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and combined.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir to mix. Stir in nuts.

5. Dump the batter out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. With your hands, shape the batter into a long flat log. It should be about 10 inches long, 4 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches tall, but don't worry too much about the dimensions.

6. Bake about 35-40 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown and beginning to crack.

7. Remove from the oven and sit the pan aside for about 10-15 minutes (leave the oven on). Carefully move the log onto a cutting board (if it seems fragile when you attempt to move it, let it cool on the baking sheet another 15 minutes), and with a serrated knife, slice the log into about 12 pieces (if you cut them on a bias they will be longer; straight across they will be shorter). The end stubs make good cook's treats. Return the slices to the baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes more, turning once. They should be golden brown across their tops and edges.

8. Allow to cool completely before storing.

Makes about 12

Cinnamon Macadamia Biscotti

(adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking from My Home to Yours")

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup peanut flour (or fine cornmeal, coconut flour, or white whole wheat flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

3. With a stand or hand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Mix until fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and mix again until combined. Then comes the vanilla, which just needs a quick spin. Dump in the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Lastly, add the nuts and mix for a few seconds.

4. Move the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. With your hands, shape the batter into a long flat log. It should be about 10 inches long, 4 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches tall, but don't worry too much about the dimensions.

5. Bake about 35-40 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown and beginning to crack.

6. Remove from the oven and sit the pan aside for about 10-15 minutes (leave the oven on). Carefully move the log onto a cutting board (if it seems fragile when you attempt to move it, let it cool on the baking sheet another 15 minutes), and with a serrated knife, slice the log into about 12 pieces (if you cut them on a bias they will be longer; straight across they will be shorter). The end stubs make good cook's treats. Return the slices to the baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes more, turning once. They should be golden brown across their tops and edges.

7. Allow to cool completely before storing.

Makes about 12

Note: both versions can be made nut-free by swapping the nut flour for almost any other kind of flour (such as all purpose, cornmeal, or whole wheat) and by omitting the nuts.