Biscotti Baby!

There are very few things that are better than having Biscotti with a steaming hot cup of Cafe Bustelo (colombian espresso).
Its rainy and windy outside today, so I whipped up a batch of Biscotti to go with my coffee. It took a few minutes to throw together, and its much better for you than a jelly doughnut. Some recipes for Biscotti tend to include cornmeal, and can taste a bit dry. I add a bit of Amaretto Liqueur and orange zest to give the Biscotti the perfect balance of flavors. I dip them in chocolate when they are cooled completely, and pair them with the wonderfully strong coffee. The aromas that fill my kitchen are like walking into an old Italian Bakery in the morning.
Go ahead and treat yourself to a relaxing morning of biscotti, strong coffee and a good book. The rest of the week may just fly right past you :)

Biscotti

3 cups Flour
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Teaspoon Anise Seeds
3 Eggs
1 Egg Yolk
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
2 Teaspoons Amaretto Liqueur
1 Teaspoon Orange Zest
1/2 cup chopped Almonds or Almond Slivers
1/2 cup Pine Nuts

Chocolate Dip

1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 Teaspoon Shortening

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
Stir all of the dry ingredients together (including the Anise seeds) in a large bowl. Beat the eggs and add them and the rest of the ingredients (except the nuts) all at once into the flour mixture and stir just until it all comes together. At this point you can add the nuts.
Divide the dough into 2 parts. Shape each half into a 10x3-inch rectangle onto the prepared cookie sheet (1 half per sheet). Bake 30 minutes rotating the pans once during baking. Cool on the cookie sheets completely.
Reduce heat to 300F. Transfer the logs to a cutting board and cut 1/2 inch slices. Arrange the slices, cut sides down, back onto the cookie sheets. Bake 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Have a sheet of wax paper standing by for the dipped Biscotti.

Melt the chocolate chips and shortening together in a glass bowl (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray for easy clean-up) for 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, for 1-2 minutes. Dip the biscotti into the melted chocolate or drizzle the chocolate over them. Place the finished biscotti on the wax paper for the chocolate to set.
Enjoy!