MARTHA'S CORNMEAL BISCOTTI

For the longest time, I thought biscotti was an awful cookie. Years ago, before second wave coffee had a name, there was often a glass jar of biscotti that some people insisted were worth a try. They were always almond, sometimes with a  dipped end in chocolate. To me, I remember biscotti as dry and bland and edible only if dipped in coffee.

Then an italian nurse brought (colloquial brand) them to work one day, and they were soft and fragrant. 

So years later, for Christmas, a friend made almond chocolate chip biscotti for christmas tins and I tried out a recipe from a Martha book with a cornmeal twist. The original called for pistachios and cranberries, and when we baked the both together, we both agreed they were a real hit. I don't crave any others now.

Yesterday at work, a nurse/firefighter who doubles as a baristo when on his break or if it is not busy, made me a much appreciated mochaccino. Tonight I made biscotti to bring in tomorrow to complement his work! They are far from the best batch I've ever made, but they are delicious, and I think they will disappear before my shift ends tomorrow!

Even the failures taste great!

I went with the sweet soft pecan to replace pistachio in combination with dried cranberries. It was a good choice, but I wonder if walnut or almond would be just a good.

What happens when your dough is too wet: it spreads too much, the bottom browns without the top cracking,  and the edges cook too quickly. 

The dough seemed a bit wet. I thought I should add some flour, but I didn't. To note, the high today was 28 and the humidity was 72%. I should have listened to my first instinct. Also to note, although my Silpat is pretty hard to read, it had all the markings that I needed to fashion the prerequisite rectangle of 14" x 3 1/2". Turns out you don't have to worry about what height it will be, if you keep to the two dimensions with a nice sharp edge. It started out beautifully!