December 12 - Candy Cane Goodness

I'm an East coaster with west coast roots, thus every Christmas packages of love get sent to my west coast family.  Every year I try and include some yummy treat, because...I just love treats!  This year I  found the recipe below in October and it along with a recipe for killer good hot chocolate mix turned into a goodie bag that was included in my west coast shipments.  Each goodie bag held a Classic Christmas CD, a jar of homemade hot chocolate, a bag or two of candy cane biscotti, some Christmas coasters and a milk frother (to make the hot chocolate extra yummy).  I had so much fun putting it all together!  Today I whipped up some more biscotti for yet another gift idea, this time closer to home...more on that later.  So, without further adue here's the recipe:

Candy Cane Biscotti

originally from Annie's Eats

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup finely chopped peppermint candies, plus extra for garnish  (I used Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips the second time around for inside the biscotti)
14 oz. white chocolate 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir briefly with a fork to combine.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  Fold in the 2/3 cup crushed peppermints with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated.

Evenly divide the dough into 4 portions.  Form each into a 9″ by 1½” log on the prepared baking sheet, spaced evenly.  Bake until the cookies are light golden brown on top, about 18-20 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325° F.
After the logs have cooled for 10 minutes, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the logs into ½-inch slices on the diagonal.  Arrange the cut pieces on the baking sheet, laying on one of their cut sides so one cut side is facing up.  Bake for 15 minutes more, until the cookies are light golden brown and crisp.  (They may seem a bit soft, but will firm as they cool.)  Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Once cool lay out on wax paper or silicone baking mat.

Once the biscotti have cooled, melt the white chocolate in the top of a double boiler.  Drizzle white chocolate over biscotti.  Sprinkle with extra crushed candy canes while the chocolate is still wet.  Let stand at room temperature until the chocolate has set completely.  Store in an airtight container.

Happy Holiday Baking, my friends!