While I love my family’s traditional holiday sweets, I’m always developing something new to add to our holiday assortment. This year, I decided to add some biscotti to our holiday cookie platter. The Cinnamon-Mocha Biscotti recipe found here is the result of my biscotti quest. The flavor reminds me of my favorite cappuccino with a splash of chocolate.

The base for the biscotti is very similar to a traditional tollhouse cookie recipe. Butter, brown and white sugar and eggs are creamed, then vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt are added. The addition of instant espresso granules, ground cinnamon and cinnamon chips, along with chopped nuts and chocolate chips, makes these cookies extra special.

You could prepare the dough and bake it up like regular drop cookies, but I prefer to use the dough to make crunchy, twice-baked biscotti instead. The dough is formed into a large rectangle and is baked for 25 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once the baked dough is allowed to cool briefly, it is sliced into logs and baked for an additional 8 minutes per side.

Wrap a few biscotti in cellophane and tie with a pretty bow for a hostess or teacher’s gift along with some special holiday coffee. Or, keep the baked biscotti in the freezer to serve with ice cream any time.

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso or coffee granules
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips*
  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F on convection bake. Combine butter, sugars and espresso or coffee granules in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix briefly.

Add flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix until well blended. Fold in pecans, chocolate morsels and cinnamon chips.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough out onto paper and form into a large rectangle, 3/4-inch thick. Bake 25 minutes, or until firm. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.

Use a serrated knife to cut the dough into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and return to the oven for 8 minutes. Turn and bake 8 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 12-13 large biscotti.

*If cinnamon chips are unavailable in your area, use an additional 1/2 cup miniature chocolate morsels.