Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti

I love cinnamon sugar. Well, then again who doesn’t? It’s probably one of the best scents in the word, plus one of the tastiest!

So, diverging a little here, but I’ll be getting my wisdom teeth out in just a few days (I got my top ones out when I was ten and it hurt like a mother trucker!). It’s going to suck because my sister, who tolerates pain very well, was in pain. I on the other hand do not tolerate pain as well as she and I’m terrified. The only exciting thing is that I’ll be able to drink milkshakes, eat ice cream, and pudding as legit meals, although, I will probably have some soup throughout the week as well.

And because for the next week I’ll be eating only soft foods at a snail’s pace, I decided to get the crunch craving out of my system. That’s where biscotti come in.

I seem to have an affinity for biscotti. I don’t know what it is, but biscotti are always just so delicious and crunchy and perfect for dipping! And you can manipulate them to have any flavor and mix-ins you could ever imagine! Of course you can kind of do that with any cookie, but I feel that biscotti have more power to support such things.

When I saw these cinnamon sugar beauties on Tracey’s blog I knew I wanted to make them. I put them on my “To Bake” list and went on the merry way. I tend to have a very small attention span when it comes to treats because I totally forgot about these, until I was scanning my very long list and re-discovered them! I knew it had been a while since I had made any kind of cookie and it has been too long since I have worked with cinnamon sugar.

These biscotti turned out a little crunchier than I’m used to, but that’s ok because it soaked up my glass of milk very nicely. It stayed firm, but soft enough to bite into without having to comp down on it or it breaking away and falling into the milky depths of my cup. And the taste? So, so cinnamony! The best part was licking the excess cinnamon sugar off my fingers when I was done.

Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti

Slightly adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures
Makes 2 dozen

Topping
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside

In a medium sized bowl mix the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar on medium-fast speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg until well incorporated. Add the vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl one more time. Turn the speed down to low and slowly add in the flour. Once all the flour has been incorporated turn the speed up to medium and beat for 30 seconds. The mixture will be crumbly.

Divide the crumbly mixture equally (I used a scale to do this). Take one crumbly pile and pack it tightly. Knead the dough for a little bit until it can be shaped easily. Form the dough into a log (about 9 inches long, 1 ½ inches wide). Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Place logs on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle some of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the tops. Bake logs for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven, but don’t turn the oven off. Let the logs cool for 5-10 minutes. Once the logs have cooled enough cut diagonal slices. Turn the slice onto their sides and bake for 5 minutes. Turn the cookies over and bake for another 5.

Remove from the oven and allow biscotti to cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes. Since I don’t drink tea or coffee I dunked these babies in some milk, but by all means, if you are a coffee/tea drinker, dunk them in that.