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Biscotti is the perfect little sweet treat to go with that morning cup of coffee if you want a little something to munch on but don't want to actually eat breakfast. A cookie or even a mini muffin is the route I tend to go if I want something in the morning to go along with my coffee. I am only an early riser if absolutely necessary so I don't find that I often need breakfast. I can usually get by with a cup of coffee until lunch, but sometimes I just want a little something to nibble on and although I don't make it often I find biscotti to be the perfect thing.
Christmas is the perfect time to bake up a batch, or three of biscotti. It has a long shelf life, it's not extremely fragile, so it's easy to transport if you choose to give it away on a goodie tray like I often do, and it packages nicely. Stick some in a cellophane bag, tie it up with a ribbon and you've got a cute little gift to give. I have batched up different flavors over the years, but Coconut Biscotti seems to be my favorite.
You won't find many coconut recipes around here because although I love the stuff Mr. Picky Eater does not. With only two people in the house unless I'm having folks over, going to a potluck or making my Christmas Baked Goodie Bags I skip over the coconut recipes. Mr. Picky Eater won't eat biscotti anyway, so I can get away with making whatever flavor suits my fancy. This flavor definitely suits my fancy. It is a fairly simple recipe with just the right amount of coconut. The flavor is not overpowering, it's pretty much the perfect amount. When there is a batch of these around I find myself nibblinging one every morning with my coffee until suddenly there are no more. That's a sign of a good cookie. And, thankfully the biscotti are pretty low fat, so I am not too riddled with guilt when I eat these.
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Coconut Biscotti
Original Recipe From Cooking Light
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
Preheat oven to 300°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through nutmeg). Place sugar, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until thick. Add flour mixture and coconut; stir to combine (dough will be very sticky). Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface; knead lightly 7 or 8 times. Shape dough into a 15 x 3-inch roll. Place roll on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and pat to 1-inch thickness. Bake at 300° for 40 minutes or until roll is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
Cut roll diagonally into 20 (1/2-inch-thick) slices; stand slices upright on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.
Yields:20 cookies (serving size: 1 biscotto)
2.5 grams of fat
*The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups flour, but the dough was entirely too sticky.
