Day 21: Lemon Poppyseed Biscotti

When I think of making anything with poppy seeds I always get a little chuckle thinking about Elaine on Seinfeld and her poppy seed issue. She eats poppy seed muffins for breakfast and then ends up failing a drug test. She has no idea why she is failing the drug screen. She then tells the waitress at the coffee shop (while eating a lemon poppy seed muffin) and another customer chimes in informing her that it's the poppy seeds that are causing her to fail. This poppy seed concept even inspired a Mythbusters episode!

I was lucky enough to spend the day with my grandpa and decided to make a version of grandma's lemon poppy seed biscotti. I didn't have her exact recipe, so I adapted this one from day twenty's Cherry Chocolate Biscotti. I had my camera with me, but unfortunatly the battery was low and I didn't get great pictures of the cookies. There was just enough juice left in the battery to catch one (great) shot of grandpa, tho!

Lemon Poppy Seed Biscotti

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter, Softened

2 Teaspoons Almond Extract

3 Eggs

3 Cups of Flour

Juice and zest of one Lemon

2 tablespoons of Poppy Seeds

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease cookie sheet.

Mix together sugar and butter.

Add almond extract and eggs, blend well.

Add flour and baking powder, mix well.

Add the zest of the lemon.

Then add the juice and poppy seeds

Shape dough into two 10 inch rolls. Place rolls on a cookie sheet and flatten each to 3 inches wide..Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from cookie sheet and cool for 10 minutes.

Slice rolls diagonally into 1/2 inch slices.

Place cut side down on the cookie sheet.

Bake 5 minutes or until bottom is brown.

Flip the cookie over and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Grandpa really loved the biscotti. He enjoyed them with a nice cold glass of orange juice :)

Special Valentine Project

Happy Valentine's Day!
This post is out of order, but this project is to cute not to share. When I asked Dane and Ian what they would like to give out for Valentine's Day this year I was expecting them to request SpongeBob Candy or Star Wars Cards. What they came up with was even better...Mustaches!!

They have been a fan a mustaches (who isn't!) for the past few years, and Ian has even been knows as Mustachio on occasion.

 This was Ian in Niagara Falls as Mustachio two summers ago.

Our original plan was to create a card and give each child a fake mustache. However, we came across something much better, mustache cookie cutters!!!

Dane and I got busy making the dough. I used a Martha Stewart chocolate sugar cookie recipe. We had to double the recipe, so when we turned the mixer on to cream the powered sugar and butter....oops!!! Powdered sugar everywhere!!!!



Once the cookies were made (look for the recipe after biscotti week) we attached them to a card and.....

The Mustache Cookies were a big hit!  Fun and delicious!





Day 20: Cherry Chocolate Chip Biscotti

I have mentioned before that my Grandma Caponi was a fabulous baker. She would have something in the oven daily and she took such pride in what she was doing. As a child, the only store bought cookies I remember seeing in her home were the occasional Angel Wing (AKA Polish Chruciki)  or Keebler Fudge Striped Cookies.

She included biscotti as one of her cookie staples. So, when a friend on facebook recommended I try a biscotti cookie for this site I thought: "Yes!!"  Why just one day of biscotti??? How about a whole week!

Welcome to biscotti week!!!

To begin I picked a recipe I usually bake at Christmas time. The cherries in this biscotti always looked festive to me, and what is prettier then a tray full of biscotti???

Cherry Chocolate Biscotti

(recipe from Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook)

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter, Softened

2 Teaspoons Almond Extract

3 Eggs

3 Cups of Flour

1/2 Cup Chopped Candied Cherries

1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease cookie sheet.

Mix together sugar and butter.

Add almond extract and eggs, blend well.

Add flour and baking powder, mix well.

Stir in cherries (I add a little juice sometimes) and mini chocolate chips.

Shape dough into two 10 inch rolls. Place rolls on a cookie sheet and flatten each to 3 inches wide..

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from cookie sheet and cool for 10 minutes.

With a serrated knife, cut rolls diagonally into 1/2 inch slices.

Place cookies cut side down on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms begin to brown. flip cookies over and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from cookie sheet and cool on rack for 15 minutes or until completely cooled. Plate and serve.

 

Noah: "These are perfect with milk."

Dane: "I love them."

Ian: "Um, no thanks. I don't like cherries."