Cinnamon Biscotti with Cinnamon Chocolate Drizzle

Hey Hey! Welcome to the last week in Febrrrrary!! Yes! It's almost over! There are so many things I'm looking forward to doing this spring. One thing I'm so pumped about is planting my own garden! I'm extremely nervous because I'm afraid I'm going to do everything wrong and it's not necessarily the cheapest investment. However, I've been scouring the internet looking for as many thrifty ways as possible to make our own little patch of happiness without breaking the bank. I want to do Romaine lettuce (will save us a ton!), cucumbers, strawberries, blueberries, maybe carrots and as many herbs as I can. No tomatoes you ask. No, because Hub and I don't like them.

I had a dream of planting fruit trees in the backyard, but after talking to my big sis it seems Indiana is not the ideal state for those. I wanted to do a lemon, an orange, a pear and an apple tree. I think I could possibly have success with the apple trees, but it sounds like all the others are unrealistic in our sporadic climate. If you live in Indiana, you know what I'm talking about. It's the only state I know where you can stay in the same town and experience all four seasons in one day...no matter what time of the year. My birthday is in April and one year it snowed in the morning and then was 64 by late afternoon! Crazy.

Another thing I am looking forward to is traveling! I've been cooped up in this house way too long and this lady needs to spread her wings and fly. Metaphorically speaking that is...this girl doesn't do well in airplanes. I grew up in a VERY large family and if we wanted to go anywhere, we drove. Those long car rides were some of the best times of my life. Half the memories we made on vacations were in the car. I say life is one big journey so enjoy the ride! One of our first trips this year is to Gatlinburg, TN! Hub and I go every year. And of course we drive. And with long car rides comes snacks! Lots and lots of snacks.

Since I'm the queen of finding anyway not to spend money frugality I decided this year I would make most of our snacks. I've already learned how to make my own homemade granola bars, but wanted something with a little more flavor. I thought about maybe some chocolate chip cookies, but those don't last too long and I wanted something that would still be just as good after our four day trip was over. So finally I landed on these: Cinnamon Biscotti with Cinnamon Chocolate Drizzle!

These things are amazing. Seriously. And honestly I'm not a big crunchy person. Unless it's a potato chip, I don't normally like snack foods that have a hard texture and was hesitant to try these. But I've never made Biscotti before, and therefore didn't know if I would like it or not, but decided to give them a try. I am so happy I did. These little cookies are so yummy and have just the right amount of flavor. And they last forever. Well, for at least a week :)

They travel well, too. They'll be perfect in the car. And they smell absolutely amazing! While they were baking our house was filled with cinnamon! Once they had cooled and came out of the fridge they were so hard to resist. Looks like we found a winner!

Just mix up your butter and sugar, add the wet ingredients, then the dry, form into logs and bake. After those have cooked, let them cool then slice 'em up. Bake on each side a few more minutes, top with melted cinnamon chocolate and you're done. I also added some of the sprinkles I used for my carrot cake cupcakes on these. Yes I sat there and hand picked out the orange pieces. Worth it!

 (pre-cooked)

Typically these are served with hot tea. Not sure how I'll manage that driving in the curvy mountains...but good thing these are terrific on their own!

After I cut mine up I had a ton of end pieces left. So while the sticks finished baking I cut up the scraps, added them to a bowl of milk and Hub and I went to town! It was like eating big fat pieces of cinnamon toast crunch! Awesome!

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Cups flour
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 Cup white chocolate chips
1 Tbsp shortening
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixer until smooth. Add in the two eggs until fully incorporated then add the vanilla.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Turn the mixer on medium and slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.

The dough will be thick. Take big chunks of the dough and roll it into four separate logs about the length of your baking sheet. Pat them flat and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let them cool for about 30 minutes.

Cut each log into 1/2 inch pieces and place them cut side down back on the baking sheet. Cook at the same temp for about 5 minutes, take them out and flip each one over. Cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and let them cool on a wire rack.

For topping:
Melt white chocolate chips and shortening for about a minute, stirring half way. Once fully melted and easy to pour, stir in the cinnamon and drizzle all over these yummy crunchy sticks. Refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes or until chocolate is firm. Make a cup of tea, serve and devour!



So has anyone had luck growing fruit trees? Got any advice for a new gardener with the farthest thing from a green thumb?! I'll take it all!

Thanks for stopping by!

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