Monday, September 8, 2008

These are a Few of Our Favorite Things


In each chapter of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts, we have categories of ideas for Christmas celebrations. One of those is a list of "Our Favorite Things." In Chapter Four we list our favorite homemade food gifts, and we're gifting you with those recipes today.

Mine is Cherry Biscotti. Last year, I layered the dry ingredients in a jar, attached the recipe and gave them to my friend Doris. She and her granddaughter baked the biscotti one day during Christmas vacation. This is one of our favorite biscotti mixes to give away. It's tasty with a cup of bold roast coffee or good with a cup of gently flavored hot tea.

What homemade food gift do you like to give away? A suggestion, gift a copy of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts and include the ingredients to make one of our Cookie Canister recipes found in each chapter. The picture was taken the day I received my first copy of our book. Yippee!


Cherry Biscotti / Cathy


7-8 Tbs. of softened butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

¾ cup chopped dried cherries

¾ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter, eggs and sugar. Add flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Add the rest of ingredients. Mix dough with hands. Shape into two loaves: 9 inches long by 2 inches wide. Bake on greased cookie sheets for 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut each loaf diagonally into ½ inch thick slices using a serrated bread knife. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, turn over and bake for 8-10 minutes until biscotti is dry and crisp. Store in airtight containers.

2 comments:

windycindy said...

I have done various gifts in a jar at my two sons' schools. There has been Pumpkin Bread, Chocolate Chip Cookies,etc. I like your idea of your book with a ready to make food item. Cindi

Cathy Messecar said...

I'm ready to do more of the jarred gifts this year. I actually have some old canning jars I'd planned to sell in a garage sale, that I'll keep for just that purpose--I'll just delay selling them and let the receivers decide what to do with the obviously old jars.