Traditional Italian Almond Biscotti

I had a craving for biscotti. And I thought to myself, why not go all the way? A traditional italian biscotti. I read the recipe: there was no butter. That should have sent warning bells to my head immediately. No butter equals one hard biscotti.

Traditional Italian Almond Biscotti
from Food Blogga

3 cups whole almonds
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 jumbo eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest of 1 large orange (about 1 -2 teaspoons)

plus one egg, lightly beaten for brushing tops of loaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large sheets with parchment paper.

Place almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

In a large bowl, hand mix toasted almonds, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder, and flour.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Add the vanilla and orange zest and whisk until well blended. Add to the flour mixture. Work the batter together with lightly floured hands. The mixture will be sticky, but persevere. Keep squeezing the batter with your hands, until a dough starts to form. Once the dough is firm, form a ball. Divide the ball into four equal pieces.

On a lightly floured surface place one piece of dough, and using your hands, roll into a log shape that is approximately 8 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 3/4 of an inch high. Repeat with remaining three pieces of dough. Place two logs per baking sheet.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the tops of the loaves are shiny and deep golden. Cool on a rack for about 20 minutes before slicing. Place a loaf on a cutting board, and using a large serrated knife, slice cookies 3/4 of an inch thick on the diagonal. If the cookie is crumbling, then let it cool a few more minutes. Don't let it rest too long, however, or they could become too hard to slice.

Place slices on their sides back on to the baking sheets; place in the still warm oven with the temperature off and the door closed for 30-60 minutes. The longer they stay in the oven, the harder they will become. Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an air-tight container, preferably a tin, which helps keep them crisp. Stored properly, biscotti will last up to a month.

PB Cookies

It was one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions.

Wait. Rewind.

One of my "hobbies" is to flip through recipe books. And usually, when there aren't photos attached to every single recipe, I won't give the book another glance. (Mean, I know)

 So I surprised myself when I carefully flipped through the pages of a book - which didn't have a single photo (unless you count the hand-drawn animated ones.. but I admit, they were cute and suitable). Maybe it was the title that caught my eye: "Sweet Gratitude: Bake a Thank-You for the Really Important People in Your Life". The story behind it: dedicated to "the Cat Doctor", the author started bringing along baked treats for her cat's vet and his staff when her cat needed regular visits.

This is where I found the recipe for PB Cookies. Comfort food - at its best.

Peanut Butter Cookies
from Sweet Gratitude

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Before the year twenty-ten ended, I am extremely happy to say I was able hang out with Jessica, Jenae and Michelle <3 Great friends whom I met during my one year stay at FVAA. It's wonderful to be able to meet even after all these years and pick up where we left off. I'm grateful; I really am.

What was on our agenda? Red Velvet Cupcakes.

 And they were good. Really good. They turned out red and velvety - just like they were supposed to. Add the Cinnamon Cream Cheese on top and it was divine.  

Red Velvet Cupcakes
from Joy the Baker (check out her page for gorgeous photos)

4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 tbsp red food coloring
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tsp distilled white vinegar

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Turn mixer to high and add  the egg.  Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.

In a separate bowl mix together cocoa, vanilla and red food coloring to make a thick paste.  Add to the batter, mixing thoroughly until completely combined.  You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.

Turn mixer to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk.  Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour.  Beat on high until smooth.
Turn mixer to low and add baking soda and white vinegar.  Turn to high and beat a few more minutes.
Spoon batter into a paper lined cupcake baking pan and bake at 325 F for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center cupcake comes out clean.

Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then place them of a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
double recipe to frost a 2 layer 9-inch cake

2 1/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tbsp butter, room temperature
4 oz cream cheese, cold (we used room temperature, as Joy suggests)
scant 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Beat the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.  Mix on medium-slow speed until it comes together and is well mixed.

Add the cream cheese all at once and beat on medium to medium-high until incorporated.
Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes, or until the frosting becomes light and fluffy.
Do not over-beat as the frosting can quickly become runny.

We had plenty of frosting left over. You might want to reduce the recipe.. Actually no, make the full amount and you have leftovers to "inject" into the cupcakes.