Biscotti: a quick treat for afternoon tea and good Christmas gift idea

I made this Coffee Biscotti yesterday afternoon because I was feeling grumpy.  Yes, you heard me, I bake for therapy! There are not many things, that relax me as much as the sound of my Kenwood  Chef mixing and the smell of freshly baked goods that fill my kitchen.  I instantly start to breathe slower and feel better while I am mixing one or another treat.

This Coffee Biscotti is really fast to put together and really tasty.  It is truly one of those recipes that I am very sure cannot flop even if you want  it to.  I substituted a few things to work with what I had in the house.  Feel free to make it your own…

I am seriously contemplating to whip up a batch or two of this for Christmas and to give them away as a small gift.  I have truly found that friends really appreciate something that has been lovingly made by yourself.  So if you are looking for something that will take less than an hour to make and that will not cost you an arm and a leg, try this Biscotti recipe.

This will take you about fifteen minutes to prepare and a further hour to finish baking.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cake flour
• 2 Tbsps granulated coffee
• 1t cinnamon ( I substituted this wit a Chai Spice mix that I buy from our local farm market)
• 1/2 t bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 baking powder
• 1 t freshly ground pink himalayan salt
• 1 cup soft dark brown sugar
• 3 large free range eggs
• 70 g whole pecan nuts (I roasted mine but that’s optional)
• 30 g slivered almonds (also toasted)

Note: feel free to substitute with your favourite nuts or whatever you have available.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180° C
2. Mix the flour, coffee, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs until light and add to the flour mixture to create a dough.
4. Add the nuts and bring together in a ball.  Don’t be alarmed if it seems sticky.
5. Halve the dough and bake two rolls on a baking sheet.  Press down to make it slightly flat.
6. Bake for 45 minutes and let it cool down before slicing into 2 cm slices.
7. Place flat on a baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes before turning over and baking on the other side for another 10 minutes.
8. Drizzle with white chocolate if you wish.

Enjoy at tea time with a cup of your favourite tea..