Heck, I don't turn up my nose at any of them, I figure there's always the possibility that I'll be pleasantly surprised, even by a site that's disappointed me before. I was thinking of these with chili... Annie

I have given biscotti as gifts a few times, and it has been well received. My biggest coup was I found a nice biscotti jar at an estate sale, and bought it for my DIL's parents. We had been out to eat together at an Italian restaurant that had biscotti jars as decor. My DIL's mother really liked them. When I saw that jar I had to get it for her. Anyway, how could I give them an empty biscotti jar? I've also given biscotti to a very picky co-worker that doesn't like chocolate and doesn't like things too sweet. She really liked the biscotti. She didn't get a fancy container, but that didn't matter in that case. Biscotti is so easy to make, and can be done with different variations, with different flavorings and fun stuff. Here's the basic simple recipe I've made. I've used almond extract at times, and anise extract at times. I've added almonds to the dough and I've just rolled the "logs" in slivered almonds before slicing. We've dipped them in dark chocolate ganache and white chocolate ganache. You can just play with it as you wish. Biscotti Recipe courtesy Rocco DiSpirito 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon anise extract, or 3 drops anise oil (my note: or use flavoring of your choice) 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and anise flavoring until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2-inch thickness. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. When the cookies are cool enough to handle, slice each 1 crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Cookie slices should be lightly toasted. Recipe Summary Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Yield: 3 to 4 dozen Episode#: MP1B29 Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved Have fun! Sally

Oops, mouse slipped and put on wrong forum. Sorry.

Nekotish, here you go. I got this from a friend several years ago. Peppermint Chocolate Recipe adapted from Alice Medrich 2 cups (9 oz) all purpose flour 1/2 cup (1.125 oz) unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder 2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 4 oz bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (or use mini chocolate chips and skip the chopping) 8 T (4 oz, 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup (7 oz) sugar 2 large eggs 1 t vanilla 1 t peppermint extract 1 cup Andes peppermint crunch baking chips (I usually use half a bag or the whole bag if making a double batch) Note: sometimes it’s difficult to find the Andes peppermint crunch, so you could try the one by Ghirardelli or chop up the wrapped Andes peppermint crunch mints. Preheat the oven to 300 F with a rack in the center of the oven. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add chopped chocolate or mini chips. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together until completely integrated and creamy. Mix in the eggs, peppermint extract and vanilla. Add the flour and mix on the lowest speed, just until all the flour has been evenly moistened by the butter-egg mixture. Mix in the Andes chips. Place parchment or a silicone mat on a cookie sheet. Shape the dough on the cookie sheet to form a long rectangle, about 16X4 inches for long biscotti, or divide the dough in half and make 2 shorter and more narrow logs for shorter biscotti. Bake for approximately 35 minutes (start checking at 20 minutes if baking 2 logs), until the loaf is firm but springy to the touch. Rotate from front to back halfway through to ensure even baking. Remove the loaf to cool on the pan. Let it cool for at least 2 hours. (I usually get away with slicing at 10-15 minutes.) Before slicing, turn the oven back on to 300 F. Remove the loaf or loaves to a cutting board. Slice 1/2-inch slices of the loaf and transfer them back to the cookie sheet, standing them upright and about 1/4 inch apart. If you need to, use 2 cookie sheets and place the oven racks in the lower and upper third of the oven. Bake for an additional 30 minutes, until the biscotti feel dry and crusty. Rotate from front to back (and top to bottom if using 2 sheets) halfway through. Cool the biscotti completely before storing in airtight containers. If desired, biscotti may be drizzled with white chocolate. I use the Ghirardelli white chocolate melts or Callebaut block white chocolate and add a dash of peppermint extract to the melted white chocolate. Right after drizzling, sprinkle with chopped peppermint candy.