I swear, y’all, this house is going to smell GOOD this December and I am getting myself a head start on it.

Biscotti is one of those things that I never thought about making. I mean, when you can get them at your local coffee shop or the store, why bother? Also, they are a little more work than I sometimes want to do. Nonetheless, I lit a fire under my butt and made my own. I could’ve easily started with a fancier recipe—I’m actually a little surprised I didn’t because that’s the sort of thing I tend to do—but a basic almond biscotti recipe was the ticket. I like to think of these as prototypes for Christmas gifts.

These turned out quite lovely; crisp, nutty and just the right touch of vanilla. I made mine just a little thicker and shorter than you usually make biscotti, but that’s just my personal preference. And I like to dunk mine in milk, thank you for asking. I am not going to tell you that biscotti dough is a very stout and heavy dough. So stout and heavy that I recommend you that if you’re using a handheld or weaker stand mixer (like our rickety Sunbeam) to cream the butter, sugar and eggs, and then switch to doing it by hand (which will suck but seriously, this dough will potentially burn out a motor). Of course, if you have the miracle that is the Kitchenaid stand mixer, that sucker will do just fine. I am considering making a batch of mini-biscotti for Christmas gifts, I like this recipe. But I might dip them into melted chocolate just to gild the lily.

Almond Biscotti

2 1/4 cups AP flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

4 tbl. (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or foil, shiny side up.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes or until well-combined. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients at low speed. Mix until dough begins to form. Mix in almonds. Batter will be thick.

Scrape dough onto a work surface lightly coated with flour. Lightly coat hands with flour and knead briefly until dough is soft and not sticky (about 8 to 10 times). Divide dough into 2 pieces. Shape each piece into a log about 13 inches long, 2 inches wide and 1 inch high. Carefully transfer logs to baking sheet, placing logs 4 inches apart. Bake for 35 minutes, or until well-risen, lightly browned and firm to the touch. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through for even baking. Remove from oven, and reduce temperature to 325 degrees.

Cool logs on baking sheet for 10 minutes until warm but not too hot to touch. Transfer logs to cutting board. Using a serrated or sharp knife, cut diagonal 1/2-inch slices. Use a firm and fast cutting motion to prevent crumbling.

Lay biscotti flat on baking sheets. Return to oven and bake until golden, firm and very dry, about 15 to 20 minutes, flipping over the slices halfway through. Cookies might be slightly soft in the center but will harden as they cool.

Let stand 2 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to rack. Cool completely before storing.