Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Christmas Biscotti and a Giveaway!



This giveaway is now closed
.

In honor of Works-For-Me Wednesday, I am sharing a recipe for one of my favorite homemade gifts: Christmas Biscotti. These are always a hit during the holiday season, and they come out absolutely beautiful! Wrap a few in a clear holiday baking bag with a colorful ribbon for a delicious and thoughtful gift! Here's the recipe:

Christmas Biscotti

2 large eggs
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 c. shredded sweetened coconut
1 c. Christmas M&Ms (neatly chop each M&M into 1/4ths)
1 3/4 c. chopped peppermint bark

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Beat together the eggs, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla until creamy. Gently stir in flour, coconut and M&Ms. Transfer dough to a silpat or parchment covered baking sheet and shape into a rough log, about fourteen inches long (and about 2 1/2 inches wide and 3/4 inches thick). Smooth the top with a wet dough scraper. Bake the dough for about 25 minutes, until just turning golden. Remove from oven and let cool, up to 25 minutes.

Five minutes before slicing, mist lightly but thoroughly with a spray water bottle. (This makes slicing the biscotti easier.). Reduce oven temp to 325-degrees, wait another five minutes, then cut into 1/2-3/4-inch slices. Try to cut straight up and down, so they don't fall over during their second session. Set the biscotti upright on a covered baking sheet, and bake for about 25 minutes, until very golden. Remove, and place on a rack for cooling. These will crisp as they cool.

Dip half of each finished, cooled biscotti in the melted peppermint bark. Place on a rack over parchment or wax paper and allow chocolate to set before serving. These can be stored at room temp for about two weeks; for longer storage, wrap airtight, and freeze.

For more Works-For-Me tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer.

Now for the giveaway part! I am giving one of my readers an item from my online Avon store: the Avon Anew Clinical Professional Stretch Mark Smoother. This is the at-home answer to a dermatologist's laser - that over time, reduces the appearance of stretch marks by up to 50%!

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment with your idea for a great homemade or handcrafted Christmas present! If you are not a blogger, please leave a way for me to contact you via e-mail. A winner will be randomly chosen on Monday, Dec. 8th. I'll allow 48 hours for the winner to respond to my e-mail before choosing another winner.

Right now, I am offering Free Shipping on orders over $15! Just use the coupon code "REP815" at checkout. (Direct delivery only). Visit my Avon store for great gift ideas!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I made Christmas ornaments with my son's hand print for his grandmothers this year. I took Crayola Model Magic...rolled some out...put a hole in the top...and put his handprint in the center. I tied a red ribbon through the hole. I'm going to finish it off by writing his name and the date. :-)

Wanda said...

We make glass plate decorations and give them as gifts with cookies to neighbors and friends.

How:

Brush hodge-podge glue all over clear plate bottom
Cut fabric of your choice to cover bottom
Again, brush more glue over that. Making sure to press fabric down tight.
Let dry a few hours.
Trim edges clean.
Spray adhesive onto glued layers.
Allow to dry.
Clean & use.
People love them and you can hang them as decorations if you like.

Jess B said...

Two years ago, I made all the nieces and nephews beach towels appliqued with their names on them. They LOVED them and they ALL still use them! Last year I made fleece pillowcases, again they all use them! This year, it's going to be fabric covered memo boards. All are relatively simple and if you are shopping sale and clearance racks, they are frugal, too!

Anonymous said...

My homemade Christmas gift is great for grandparents - Santas made from your child's handprints! I blogged about it: http://themonkeyroom.blogspot.com/2008/11/ive-just-discovered-blog-called-just.html
Thanks for the giveaway!!! :-)

Donna said...

These candies make a great gift:
http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/03/bon-bon-anyone.html

Chris said...

If you buy a sand dollar, you can paint it and put the year on it. Then you can put a string to hang it on the tree.

cdembins@yahoo.com

June Fuentes @ A Wise Woman Builds Her Home said...

this sounds great, maybe my daughters could try this!

many blessings...