Day 7 … Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti

You know what we haven’t had in 3 years worth of 12 Days of Cookies? Biscotti. Right? Let’s fix that today. To the basic butter cookie dough add cornmeal for crunch, egg whites for structure, a little honey, some additional leaveners and for flavor, lemon and black pepper (because why not?) For Day 7 … Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti.

It’s a rather adult cookie, as biscotti tend to be. As a kid, I didn’t understand biscotti much less like them. Biscotti were hard, dusty flavored … stale. Old lady cookies, I thought. Truth be told, I held this opinion for too long. Why bother when there were better cookies? Cookies with chocolate and stuff. Then I grew up and was introduced to that delightful Italian after dinner combination of cantucci and vin santo, twice baked crunchy almond cookies and a glass of delicious dessert wine. I came around on my thoughts surrounding biscotti.

They’re pretty easy to make too, once you keep a few things in mind. Chill the dough so it’s easier to roll into logs. Once baked, slice the logs into neat slices with a serrated knife. It cuts much cleaner. Its a pain but they’re turn out better if, during the second bake, you flip the cookies. They’ll bake evenly and look better. Then kick back and enjoy; the recipe makes a lot. They’re great solo but even better with a cup of coffee or tea or even a glass of wine, dessert or not. The lemon and pepper are subtle yet add a bit of zip. To no one’s surprise, they’ll make a nice addition to your cookie platter, contributing a shape and texture we haven’t really covered yet.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: BRAVA! The really great thing about this one is it’s really hard to screw up. They’re meant to be dry so short of burning them, there’s a lot of wiggle room. Instead of lemon and pepper you can use any citrus, combination of spices, dried fruits or nuts. I wanted to add pine nuts to this one but when it came time to bake, I discovered that was the one ingredient I didn’t have. Oh well. I like them just fine like this.

2016 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Jam Thumbprints, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Butter Rum Bars, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Russian Tea Cakes, Rosemary Apricot Shortbread, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Chocolate Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Coconut Lime Sticks, Pecan Triangles, Peppermint Crisps

2017 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Raspberry Linzer Bars, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Banana Walnut Bars, PBJ Sandwich Cookies, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons

2018 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup to date:
Basic Butter Cookie Dough
Day 1: Jam Streusel Tarts
Day 2: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels
Day 3: Orange Sesame Crisps
Day 4: Almond Raspberry Strips
Day 5: Peppermint Brownie Bars
Day 6: Pecan Tassies

DAY 7: LEMON CORNMEAL BISOTTI

Basic butter cookie dough, room temperature – recipe here

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 1-2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter cookie dough with all the remaining ingredients.
3. Scrape the dough into a small bowl or a sheet of plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.
4. Divide dough into thirds (or sixths for a larger batch) and form logs with well-floured hands to about 12” long and 1 ½” wide.
5. Bake 15 minutes until pale golden and firm.
6. Let cool on sheet pan until cool enough to handle.
7. Reduce the oven to 300°
8. With a serrated knife cut on the bias into cookies about ¾” thick.
9. Arrange the cookies cut side up on the sheet pan and bake another 12-15 minutes until crisp, flipping the cookies halfway through to brown evenly.
10. Do ahead: the dough can be made and frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

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