Lemon-Poppy Seed Biscotti

Since 1996, I’ve been holding onto a recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Biscotti that I tore out of the September issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. We all do it, don’t we? We casually flip through our favorite publications, coffee or tea steaming by our side, and imagine whipping up all the tantalizing dishes so expertly photographed on the glossy pages. I do a lot of ripping and tucking but not a lot of beating and baking. I’ve gotten real good at ripping pages from my favorite magazines and tucking them carefully into the tattered manilla folder that sits neglected above my microwave. Anybody with me?

This past Christmas I had every intention of making my first batch of biscotti. But, as usual, time got away from me and after a few days of mandatory cooking and baking, I carefully tucked my long-saved biscotti recipes back in their tattered home for another day, surrendering to the fact that I just didn’t have time to do all the things I dreamed of doing. You know how it is.

Yesterday, however, I had the time and the urge to bake so I made up my mind that I was going to check “make homemade biscotti” off my bucket list. This is the recipe I used.

I got the required 4-teaspoons of fresh lemon peel from one lemon. That was probably the trickiest part for me. I was wishing I had one of those shredders with four sides. Mine is flat and had a mind of its own.

The recipe calls for 2-1/2 cups of flour and I worked the last half-cup in by hand. The dough is thick and it was tough on my old beaters. Clean hands worked just fine.

The recipe says to shape the dough into 9-in. x 1-1/2-in. logs. I was afraid I flattened mine too much but they baked up fine, cresting and rising perfectly. After twenty minutes in a 375-degree oven, voila!

Next the logs cool for one hour, then they’re sliced into 1/2-in. pieces and baked again for 8 minutes per side. {NOTE: At this point, don’t forget to turn your tea kettle on and brew a cuppa to enhance your fresh-from-the-oven treat!}

Mmmm…good! And since my first foray into biscotti-making was such a success, I’m now anxious to try different varieties. I have two other recipes from old magazines – Triple Chocolate Biscotti and Almond Biscotti – safe in my stash. I think the Triple Chocolate is on deck next! And if you love biscotti but have shied away from making it yourself, do try it! I always feared cutting it the first time, afraid it would crumble. At that point, however, it’s moist enough to hold its shape nicely … and the few crumbs that do break away? Yum … just pop ’em in your mouth! That’s what I did!

Originally posted on Cottage and Creek.