Day 9 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies

Welcome to Day 9 of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. It seems like time is really flying by, but I always feel that way around the holiday season.

Today I'd like to share with you a recipe for a relatively recent addition to my Christmas Cookie list -- Coconut Biscotti! I have only made the plain coconut cookie, but I decided to include the recipe the chocolate drizzled version due to popular request (Deborah!) I absolutely love this cookie for breakfast or anytime of the day, and it's especially yummy with coffee!

COCONUT BISCOTTI
(from Cooking Light magazine)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg.
Place sugar, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until thick.
Add flour mixture and coconut; stir to combine (cough will be very sticky.)
Turn dough out on to a heavily floured surface; knead 7 or 8 times.
Shape dough into a 15x3 inch roll.
Place roll on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and pat to 1 inch thickness.
Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes or until roll is golden brown.
Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
Cut roll diagonally into 2o (1/2 inch) slices; stand slices upright on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool.)
Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

Yields 20 cookies.

Variation:
Chocolate-Drizzled Biscotti

Melt dark chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave, stirring after 30 seconds and then in 10 second increments until smooth. Spoon the chocolate into a plastic zip-top bag, snip off a corner and use to drizzle chocolate onto the cooled biscotti.