Biscotti

 Prep Time: 15 mins | Dough Resting Time | Cook Time: 1 hr | Servings: 3 dozen | Difficulty: Easy

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (fine, if you have it)

6 oz. unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar (more for sprinkling)

3 large eggs, room temperature 

3/4 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup unsalted almonds, toasted (optional)

1/2 cup mini chips (optional)

1 egg, beaten (egg-wash)

MAKE DOUGH: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, using hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in 3 eggs (one at a time), and vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture, beating until smooth. Stir in toasted nuts and mini chips, if using. Tightly wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. 

BAKING: Preheat oven to 350°. If dough was refrigerated overnight, let rest 30 minutes before baking. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. 

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll each into a log about 12 inches long. Set on parchment-lined baking sheet, and using fingers, gently pat down dough forming a rectangle about 1 inch thick by 4 inches wide. (Remember, dough rises and expands when baked.) 

EGG WASH: In a small bowl, beat one egg with a tablespoon of water. Brush loaves with egg wash and sprinkle 'liberally' with sugar. Bake until firm and lightly browned — about 30 to 35 minutes. Check loaves after 20 minutes, as all ovens have varied hot spots, and you don't want bottoms to burn. If you see that the edges are browning fast, immediately remove dough from oven to prevent burning. Let cool for 10 minutes. 

Transfer loaves to a cutting board. Using serrated knife, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices.

SECOND BAKE: Lower oven to 275°. 

Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and lay slices flat. Bake at lowered temperature, rotating sheet halfway through, until slices are pale golden — about 15 minutes. Let cool. 

Biscotti can be frozen or stored in airtight container. 

 Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Difficulty: Easy Servings: About 3 dozen 

2 sticks (one cup) unsalted butter, softened 

1 cup sugar 

6 eggs 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

4 cups flour 

4 heaping tsp baking powder  

Pinch salt 

1 cup powdered sugar 

2 tablespoon milk 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tsp light corn syrup 

Sprinkles 

Oven to 375°. Sift flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. 

Using electric mixer, cream butter. Slowly beat in eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually add flour mixture. Mix batter until dough forms. Dough will be tacky, so let sit about ten minutes before beginning to shape cookies.  

Make a gold ball size ball. Then between your hands make a shape pieces of dough into a thin cigar shape, about 4 to 5 inches long, then loop dough into a knot. Place knot-shaped dough onto a non-stick cookie sheet (if you don't have non-stick, lightly coat with cooking spray). Bake 8 to 10 minutes.  

GLAZE: Makes 1/2 cup vanilla cookie glaze. Combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together in a small bowl, mix well. Stir in corn syrup until glaze is smooth and glossy. (If too thick, stir a small amount more of corn syrup.) You can add a drop or two of food coloring if you wish. Glaze cookies. Allow cookies to dry throughly before stacking. Stir glaze before every cookie, or it will dry with a mottled look. Use glaze right away. Sprinkle when wet. 

 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 60 minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 1 loaf  

5 tablespoons packed light brown sugar 

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, well softened 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon salt 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 

1 cup granulated sugar 

1 cup packed light brown sugar 

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

4 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces 

4 large eggs 

1/4 cup buttermilk 

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional) 

Grease, or spray with cooking spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Adjust over rack to middle position and heat over to 350 degrees.  

FOR THE TOPPING: Using a fork, mix all ingredients together in bowl until well combined and topping resembles wet sand; set aside.

 FOR THE BREAD: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda together, set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves over medium heat. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until reduced to 1½ cups – about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat; stir in granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and cream cheese until combined. Whisk mixture until no visible pieces of cream cheese remain and mixture is homogeneous (you may need to heat mixture a bit to blend all ingredients). Let mixture stand for 5 minutes off heat. 

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk. Add egg mixture to pumpkin mixture (in the pan) and whisk to combine. Fold flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until combined (some small lumps of flour are OK). Fold walnuts into batter, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Using your hand, spread/sprinkle topping evenly over top the batter.  

Bake until skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Let bread cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan and let cool for at least 1½ hours. Serve warm or at room temperature. Great toasted. 

 Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins Difficulty: Medium Servings: 8 to 10 servings 

5 ounces amaretti cookies, processed in a food processor to uniformly fine crumbs (1 ¼ cups crumbs), or Nilla wafers, or graham crackers) 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

2 pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese, (plus 3/4 more if using 9 1/2 inch springform pan)  

8 large eggs 1 ¼ cups sugar  

2 tablespoons Amaretti di Saronno, or Lemoncello, or Triplesec (orange liquor), 'optional'. 

NOTE: use fresh lemon juice or orange juice in place of liquor. 

1 tablespoon grated zest (from lemon or orange rind) 

2 teaspoons baking powder  

¼ teaspoon table salt 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

FOR CRUST: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, combine amaretti crumbs and 4 tablespoons of melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened. Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Empty crumbs into springform pan and press evenly into pan bottom. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (Do not turn off oven.) If the cooking spray was accidentally wiped off, brush sides of springform pan with a tablespoon of melted butter.

FOR FILLING: While crust cools, place ricotta in bowl and mix with hand mixer until very smooth and a bit fluffy - about 2 minutes. In separate, beat eggs and sugar until creamy. Add liquor/juice, baking powder, zest, vanilla, and salt and process until blended, about 2 minutes more. 

Pour egg mixture into ricotta and blend well Pour contents in prepared pan. Wrap pan bottom in foil to prepare water bath.  

Bake cheesecake until top is lightly browned, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. (Perimeter of cake should be firm, but center will jiggle slightly. It will solidify further as cake cools.) Transfer pan to wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Run paring knife between cake and side of springform pan. Cool until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Wrap pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cheesecake is cold and set, at least 5 hours or up to 2 days. 

To unmold cheesecake, remove sides of pan. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.