One thing that I've been having a harder time finding time for with a newborn is baking! I really love to have homemade bread with dinner, my husband got addicted to my homemade scones (a pregnancy craving of mine), and we love many other homemade treats. Since it had been a few weeks since I'd baked, I had been sitting on
this recipe from Annie's Eats, just waiting for the free time! The biscotti was really simple to make, with minimal hands-on time and great results!
(I ended up taking very few pictures because the process was so quick)
Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti
For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the topping:
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Preheat your oven to 325 so that it is ready to go. Mix the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl, then set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer on medium for about 3 minutes.
Once the butter/sugar mixture is fluffy, add in the egg and egg yolk, allowing them to get mixed in well. Add the vanilla and allow to blend. Then, on low speed, add the flour mixture gradually. The directions said to use parchment paper on a baking sheet and form the dough there. I did not have parchment paper, so I just greased a baking sheet. I also formed the dough on my (greased) counter and then transferred it to the baking sheet. Form your dough into 2 logs about 9 inches long and 1 and 1/2 inches wide. Mine did not look pretty, but they still turned out great.
Brush the dough with the remaining egg, then top with cinnamon sugar. I ended up mixing the egg with the cinnamon sugar, and brushed that mixture on all at once, and it worked well, so I would probably do it that way again!
Bake for 40-45 minutes until the dough is firm to the touch. Allow the logs to cool enough to handle, then cut diagonally into pieces. I used a cutting board for this and then placed the pieces back on the baking sheet. I also brushed them with the egg-cinnamon sugar mixture again. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
This was delicious still warm with a cup of hot chocolate, but has also been great with my morning coffee and with tea. Its basically like a crunchy, wonderful Snickerdoodle cookie!
Mmmmmm!
This would make a wonderful gift (think Christmas already!). I would put a few pieces in a little plastic bag with a cute ribbon and stick the bag in a cute mug with some coffee, tea, or hot chocolate for a cute and tasty gift!
for all the mixing!). Gradually add flour, stirring until thoroughly combined. Cover (I wrap my dough in wax paper for this; it will keep overnight too); chill 2 hours or until easy to handle. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes until edges are just set. Transfer to rack to cool. This dough gets really sticky when it warms up, so it is important to work quickly.
(6-12 mo), various 
(12-24 mo), and 
