Biscotti is a great holiday gift idea, because it is very easy to make and keeps for at least a week, and often much longer. This recipe is made with almonds, almond extract for a bit more almond flavor, and lemon extract for zing (but feel free to adjust the flavorings to your own tastes). Pair a batch of homemade biscotti with a coffee mug and homemade hot chocolate mix for a fun and yummy holiday gift.

Lemon-Almond Biscotti (Adapted from Bon Appétit, December 1999)
Makes about 3 dozen

3 1/4 c. flour
1 tbs. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1.5 c. sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon extract
1.5 tsp. almond extract
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 large egg white (optional)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Mix sugar, melted butter, 3 eggs, vanilla extract, lemon extract and almond extract in large bowl. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir with wooden spoon until well blended. Mix in almonds.

Divide dough in half. Using floured hands, shape each dough half into a 13 1/2-inch-long, 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer both logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Whisk egg white in small bowl until foamy; brush over top and sides of each dough log (I skipped this step and my biscotti are still great!).

Bake logs until golden brown (logs will spread), about 30 minutes. Cool logs completely on sheet on rack, about 25 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Transfer logs to work surface; discard parchment paper. Using serrated knife, cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes. Turn biscotti over; bake until just beginning to color, about 8 minutes. (Note: If the biscotti doesn't seem completely crispy at the 8-minute mark, take them out anyway. Like other cookies, the biscotti need a bit of time to cool and solidify. You can always put them back in the oven later if they need to dry out a bit more.) 

Transfer to rack and cool. Biscotti can be prepared one week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Check back tomorrow for a fun way to make hot chocolate mix: hot chocolate on a stick.