Standing in line at the post office, I saw an unfamiliar site.  A woman several customers in front of me was carrying two large boxes by handles located on the top.  Also on top of the boxes were quarter sized circle openings, which appeared to be air holes.  This would make sense, since the side of the box said, shockingly enough, “Live Birds”!  That is right, folks, she was transporting birds directly through the US Postal Service.  No word on if each box contained a Turtle Dove.

Surprised by this unique shipping transaction, I turned to the woman in front of me in line and remarked, “You don’t see someone shipping birds every day.”  Then waiting the perfect amount of time and in a deadpan voice, I added, “I bet they are being shipped via Air Mail.”  Then came her response…  nothing.  Nothing at all.  It was as if the Earth had opened up and swallowed my joke whole.  I was somewhat offended.  Although the joke was cheesy, the timing and delivery were perfect and the setting was spontaneous, the least I deserved was a small grin, snort, or crooked smile, but instead I got nothing in return.  So much for the Season of Giving.  Makes me kind of sad, in a joke that landed like a box full of birds kind of way.

If you, too, have some Holiday frustrations to work out, boy have I got the cookie for you.  Enjoy.

CANDY CANE BISCOTTI

“These Italian treats are labor intensive, but are easily one of my favorite Christmas cookies.  Perfect for dunking, the hard cookies pack a delightful peppermint flavor.  They also help relieve some holiday related stress, as you will receive the opportunity to pulverize some candy canes with a hammer.”

2/3 cup Butter

1 1/3 cups Sugar

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

¼ teaspoon Salt

4 Eggs

½ teaspoon Peppermint Extract

4¼ cups Flour

1 cup Candy Canes or Peppermint Candies, coarsely chopped or pulverized, if you wish.  I like to take the peppermint candies and place them within three Ziploc bags and then hammer the living daylights out of them on the basement storage room’s concrete floor.  Mind you, just my personal preference, pulverize them however you wish, but a hammer is much, much more exciting than a food processor.

Red Food Coloring

 

2 cups Powdered Sugar

2 Tablespoons Peppermint Schnapps

1 Tablespoon Peppermint Schnapps

 

Extra Candy Canes or Peppermint Candies, coarsely chopped

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Mix in eggs and Peppermint Extract.

Mix in flour.

Stir in 1 cup of Candy Canes.

Divide dough in half.

Tint one portion of the dough with red food coloring.

Divide each half of the dough into three portions.

Roll each portion into a 14-inch-long rope.

On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, place a rope of each color side-by-side.

Twist pairs of ropes around each other several times.

Flatten twists until 2 inches wide.  Place about 4 inches apart on baking sheet.

The Biscotti logs ready to bake.

Bake 20 minutes or until light brown and tops are cracked.

Cool completely on baking sheet on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Transfer twists to a cutting board.

Using a knife, cut twists diagonally into ½ inch slices.

Place slices, cut sides down, on parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Bake 10 minutes.

Turn slices over.

Bake 10 minutes more or until slices are dry.

Transfer biscotti to a wire rack and cool completely.

Prepare icing by stirring together 2 cups powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons of Peppermint Schnapps until smooth.

Add enough additional Peppermint Schnapps (about 1 Tablespoon) to make an icing of drizzling consistency.

Drizzle cooled biscotti with peppermint icing.

Sprinkle with topping of additional chopped candy canes.

Let stand until set.

 

Makes 25 long biscotti or up to 72 stubby biscotti.

Source:  on page 66 of my cookie cookbook, “Today is a Great Day for a Cookie,” which is available for free download at www.CookiesbyDave.com, under the “Cookbook” tab.