Italian delicacies

As most of you know, biscotti means double baked. And this is pretty much the only secret of these delicacies that I had the pleasure to find very easy to make. Plus, you can make biscotti of whatever you imagine, sweet or savory, with nuts, dried fruit, chocolate... try it!

CRANBERRY PECAN BISCOTTI

2-1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons orange extract
1/2 cup pecan (or any nut you like)
1/2 cup cranberries (again, any dried fruit works)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and keep mixing. Gradually, add the flour, salt and baking powder to butter mixture. Mix until smooth and add the pecans and cranberries.

Evenly divide dough into 2 portions and shape them like bread loaves. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Let them cool down for about 15 minutes. Cut loaves diagonally into 1/2 to 1-inch slices with a serrated knife. Line slices back on baking sheet. Bake for five more minutes on until they look slightly golden. Turn the biscotti over and bake for another 5 minutes.

Adding chocolate dip is optional. If you want to do it, just let the biscotti cool down completely. Then melt about half a cup of chocolate chips in the microwave and dip the biscotti in. Let them cool until the chocolate is firm and they are ready to go.