Orange Almond Biscotti for Graduation

I have to face the fact that I have not been able to carry out any activities in the garden for a few days now due to weather and this care package I’ve been putting together for my good friend who is getting her PhD this weekend. The package included a Daschund Tote-Bag, Reese’s Pieces cookies, and an entire “loaf” of biscotti. In good news, I mailed the package out yesterday afternoon and for a convenient yet hefty fee I was able to overnight it so she will get it today. Her school color is orange, which is why there is so much of it in the pictures.

The end product looked something like this:

Was I thrilled that I had the perfect sized box for the baked goods just laying around? Yes. I knew that one day that beautiful box would come in handy.

And here is how the biscotti biz went down:

This post isn’t meant to be a “howto” since the recipe doesn’t belong to me, but I can take a picture of it and pass it along to any interested parties upon request. Seeing things play out step-by-step sometimes encourages folks to try something new and that’s what I hope this post accomplishes. I made biscotti for the first time two years ago with my grandmother (I got this particular recipe from her) for Xmas. I remember feeling daunted by the task of baking something so different. Since then, I’ve made this recipe about a half dozen times. And it rocks every time. Sometimes people (like myself) don’t want to try making biscotti because they think it’s complicated. Sure, the biscotti are twice baked but that’s about all that’s strange about their preparation. The other thing one needs to be wary of is cutting the loaf. Make sure you use a knife that will slice through rather than crumble the edges of each slice. Also, be careful to cut the slices at a consistent thickness.

The benefit of biscotti for a dieting gal like myself is that it stores well (it can handle a bit of staleness) and they make great gifts. You can just take 2-3 pieces and throw them in a decorative baggy, tie a ribbon on it and you have a fancy-pants gift for a lucky loved one. I usually drizzle chocolate over them in the winter, but these felt so light and fresh I didn’t want to weigh them down with extras… This is also why I was able to just arrange the slices back into a loaf for mailing.

P.S. Apparently spell-check doesn't know about the glories of biscotti and keeps suggesting I change the word to "Scottish."