Slow mornin' on the farm...

For the first time in weeks (months?), neither John nor I have any pressing things to do over the weekend. No baby showers, no visitors, no must-do renovation projects-- there is nothing that absolutely has to be accomplished this weekend. (Okay. I'm crossing my fingers that we'll get around to taking down our christmas lights. Yes. I did just say that. And yes. It is March. Don't judge.) That said- nothing, not even christmas lights- are on my super-high priority list. This weekend, we're just going to relax...

Awesome. 

So after relishing the little lie-in that John granted me*, I came downstairs, refreshed and ready to bake! I just recently reintroduced Jules to the biscotti and it was a total hit, so I figured I'd make my gold-standard, Martha Stewart's Almond Biscotti. Those babies are delicious everytime-- easy to make, no butter-- what's not to love?

Except for one major catch-- I quickly realized I didn't have any almonds! Thwarted. The prospect of turning my impromptu baking session into a much more time consuming trip into town for groceries seemed utterly unappealing.


Enter GOOGLE. Got to love it. After surveying my pantry, I found that I had a surprisingly large stash of pecans, and about 1-cup of walnuts. I did the old "walnuts-biscotti" google search and discovered that 1-cup of walnuts wasn't gonna hack it, but "pecans-biscotti" proved fruitful, and I decided on a batch of Better Homes & Gardens Maple-Pecan Biscotti.

This recipe was super easy, quick to churn out, and a total winner with men and babies alike.

Maple-Pecan Biscotti

Ingredients

1/3

cup butter, softened

1/2

cup granulated sugar

2

teaspoons baking powder

2

eggs

1/4

cup maple syrup

1/2

teaspoon vanilla

2 3/4

cups all-purpose flour

1

cup toasted chopped pecans

1/3

cup finely chopped pecans

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour and the 1 cup toasted chopped pecans.
2. Divide dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
3. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside.
4. Shape each half of dough into a 9-inch-long loaf. Place 4 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Flatten loaves slightly. Sprinkle with the 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans; press into tops of loaves. Flatten loaves to about 3 inches wide.
5. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool loaves on cookie sheet or a wire rack for 1 hour. Transfer to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut each loaf diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Turn slices over; bake for 8 to 10 minutes more or until dry and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack; cool. Makes about 24 cookies.

*If you don't have children, you can't fully understand what it means to sleep until 9:00am without the cacophony of dogs and children waking you up intermittently. Sleeping in is like receiving 1,000 early birthday presents. It is one of the truest gestures of love. Thanks John!