Baking cookies is at the top of my list of favorites. Orange-Pecan Biscotti was my second try at baking biscotti. Warning – this could become a habit. Flavored with orange zest, juice and liqueur they smell divine while baking and are delicious dunked into a cup of hot tea. Well you know I love orange!
Joining the 2014 Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap is something I look forward to this time of year. I can’t think of a better reason to bake cookies, well maybe to eat them, but to benefit children suffering with cancer. It’s a nasty thing and we all need to help in our own small way to raise money for research to fight this frightful disease.
If you haven’t heard of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, it is a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer, which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. We all make a small donation to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and it’s matched by these companies up to $3000.00. Oxo, Dixie Crystals, California Olive Ranch and Brownie Brittle. To read more about this project go here.
Lindsey from Love & Olive Oil and Julie from The Little Kitchen proved to be super brilliant when they came up with this cookie swap idea that also raises money for kids with cancer. Kudos to the two of you!
Each participant is matched with 3 other cookie swap players, we bake 3 dozen cookies and mail one dozen to each of our three matches. My three recipients were Ausra of Vaikai ir Vanile, The Salted Cookie hosted by Becca, and to Kimberly at Rhubarb and Honey. I was fortunate to receive some really tasty cookies too! A Christmas red tin of sweet, soft Spritz Cookies arrived from Meghan at Cake n Knife along with a little extra surprise, a bag full of chocolate peppermint bark…..made me smile! I also received Almond Joy Cookies, full of coconut and chocolate, in a cute and festive box from Melissa at I Was Born To Cook. These are delish with a big glass of milk. The last package I received was filled with Champagne Sugar Cookies, frosted with pale pink frosting and sprinkled with little silver and pale blue dragees…I ate one for breakfast this morning. They are so good! Thank you Sarah from Coders Kitchen.
If you are in need of some new cookie recipes to share or eat during this holiday season be sure and check out the roundups for hundreds of cookie recipes. They can be found on Love & Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen.
- 12 oz. (2 2/3 cups) all – purpose flour;plus more for shaping
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. fine sea salt
- Finely grated zest of 2 oranges, about 1/4 cup lightly packed
- 4 1/2 oz. (! cup) coarsely chopped pecans
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 5 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 Tbs. fresh orange juice
- 1 Tbs. orange liqueur
- Position racks in the m idle and top f the oven and heat the oven to 350*F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment.
- In a large bowl, which the flour with the sugar, baking powder, and salt to combine. Put a bit of the flour mixture in a small bowl, add the zest and rub the zest into the flour to keep it from clumping. Stir the coated zest and pecans into the rest of the flour mixture.
- In a small bowl, which the eggs with the olive oil, orange juice and liqueur until well blended. Pour into the center of the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is blended. It will be very sticky.
- Dump the dough onto a heavily floured work surface and portion into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a log that’s 12 inches long, dusting with flour to keep from sticking. Set the logs about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and then press to flatten each log so that it’s 1 1/2-2 inches wide.
- Bake until the logs are golden and the tops are fairly firm near the center, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets and switching their positions after 10 minutes to ensure even baking. Set the sheets on racks until the logs are cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Leave the oven on.
- Transfer the logs to a cutting board and using a serrated knife, saw them on a sharp diagonal into slices 1/2 inch thick. Arrange the slices on baking sheets, laying them flat with a cut side down. Return the baking sheets to the oven and bake the biscotti for about 6 minutes. Turn the biscotti over, rotate the baking sheets and switch their positions, and bake until the biscotti are golden, another 8-10 minutes.
- Let cool on sheets on racks for about 5 minutes before transferring them to racks to cool completely. When finished cooling they will be crisp.
- Store at room temperature or freeze in an airtight container, separating the layers with wax paper or parchment.
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