Biscotti. The word takes me way back to my middle school days. Yea, that far back! Every time I see, think, or even hear someone speak the word biscotti, my mind quickly flashbacks to my evenings spent with family at the Borders bookstore of Newark, DE. Remember that place? At the time it was the competitor to Barnes & Noble. I often went there for my father whom at that time loved going there.
I remember as a little girl standing next to my father side in line of the café ordering a biscotti, preferably a chocolate one, with chocolate milk and I would sit at a table with a couple of books pretending I was intrigued by the literature. I did it thinking everyone else who was actually reading and sipping cappuccinos looked cool and I wanted to be them. This was also around the same time when the show Friends would run and for whatever reason, I admired the group sitting at Central Perk. So naturally when I did it with my chocolate milk and biscotti, I felt sophisticated and smart but that didn’t last very long.
The sugar high quickly reached its peak causing my sister, Tiffany, and I to chase each other till exhaustion around the entire floor of Borders. Swooping around book shelves and bumping into people causing a ruckus! Soon after you’d hear my mother calling out our names and we knew we were either in trouble or we had to leave. Those were the days. The days of care-free stress-free life.
If you see me at a bookstore or at a café, it’s really not for pure enjoyment anymore. It’s because I have a deadline to meet and the only place I can get things done is out of the home. I guess back then, that’s what those people were doing too. Maybe some of them.
But this time, I wanted to make biscottis and eat it again only to reminisce the good ol’ days. This time, breakfast in bed style inspired by my boyfriend, Wes, who just so happened to make me breakfast in bed on Valentine’s Day. Pure bliss!
Banana Glazed Banana Nut Biscotti
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 40 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 medium ripe banana, mashed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon shortening for greasing
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 banana extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. On a large cookie sheet, line with parchment paper or a silicone mat or grease with shortening/baking spray.
- In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in banana, vanilla and eggs until smooth.
- Add in flour-mixture, stir. Fold in walnuts.
- Grease hands with shortening. Divide dough evenly in half for larger biscottis. For smaller biscottis, divide dough into 4 parts.
- On the prepared cookie sheet, shape each part into a flattened rectangle with rounded ends. Do not cut loaves.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes.
- Using a sharp bread knife, cut each loaf crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.
- Place slices cut side down on cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Turn cookies and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until dry. Cool completely.
- For the glaze: In small bowl, mix confectioners sugar, milk and banana extract.
- Pour glaze into a corner of a small plastic sandwich/snack bag, seal and push glaze to one corner.
- Using scissors, snip the corner and pour lengthwise over cooled biscottis. Allow to dry or eat as is. ENJOY!
Notes
Do not use vegetable oil spreads.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes