i'd rather be baking

Although it’s been ridiculously warm in Northwest Arkansas this week, Thanksgiving is, in fact, only about a week and a half away, and that’s what’s on my mind pretty much all the time.

Every year we travel to my cousins’ house in St. Louis for the holiday and my contribution to the weekend is primarily pie-related, but I like to bring along some snacks as well. It’s a big family and well, we get hungry.

This is one of my most tried-and-true recipes and it’s definitely going on the list this year. I’m thinking a double batch is in order, so that some will actually make it to five a.m. on Friday morning, when we all straggle out for our annual Black Friday shopping. What could be better than glorified cookies for breakfast when you’re up that early?

Now, I know what you’re thinking: homemade biscotti? Really? I’ve received this reaction more times than I can count but these are seriously easy to make. The secret is that they’re baked twice — that’s really all there is to it. Besides, the biscotti you find in so many coffee shops is dry, brittle, and generally not worth the calories involved. This is so much better — more like an actual cookie but still perfectly suitable for dunking in your morning coffee.

Cranberry Walnut Biscotti
Adapted from America’s Best Lost Recipes

Makes about 40 cookies

One caveat: I opted to make this batch a bit healthier than usual by substituting agave nectar for granulated sugar. I was incredibly pleased with the results — every bit as tasty and maybe even better. I’ve adjusted the recipe accordingly, because adding this additional liquid requires some extra flour to preserve the cookies’ texture. If you’d rather use granulated sugar, reduce the flour needed by 1/2 cup.

4 cups all-purpose flour (3 1/2 cups if using sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 cup agave nectar (or granulated sugar)
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla in a measuring cup or small bowl.

With an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat the butter and agave nectar (or sugar) about two minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the egg mixture, beating until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Use a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir in the cranberries and walnuts.

Divide the dough in half and  place each piece on a baking sheet. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top and on your hands, and gently shape each piece into a log roughly 10 by 3 inches, and about an inch high. You can do this on a floured countertop if you’d prefer, but cleanup is not exactly my favorite part of the day so I like to shape the dough directly on the sheets.

Bake the dough until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Set each sheet on a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes.

Raise the oven temperature to 400°F. Transfer each loaf to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Lay the slices flat side down on the baking sheets. Bake again until lightly browned on both sides, about 8 minutes, flipping the slices over halfway through baking.

Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks (although there’s no way they’ll be around that long).