Musical pairing – Storm Warning by Bonnie Raitt
At the moment, we’re in one of the largest winter storms this country has seen in decades; covering 33 States, we experienced the first round of snow and ice beginning around 6pm last night and within the first 30 minutes our skylights were covered in ice. The Professor managed to wrangle the garbage can to the street but we have no idea if the garbage collectors will make it this morning as there is already a third of an inch of ice covering the roadways and our trees. Round two begins around noon today with another inch of ice expected to fall . . . followed by snow . . . and 40 mile per hour winds. Anyone want to take bets as to whether or not we lose power?
Because we live in the country, if we do lose power it could be days before it’s restored; most of yesterday was spent preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Our generator is primed and ready to go, extension cords, flashlights, batteries and candles have been gathered, gas cans filled for the generator, cars filled with gas, water jugs filled with water and stored in the basement. I ran the vacuum last night at 10:30pm and started the dishwasher before heading to bed. And I cooked . . . and I baked . . . muffins, scones and these Cracked Pepper, Dried Cherry and Chocolate Chunk Biscotti . . . priorities people . . . because really, one cannot have too many sweets on hand during a major storm. They’re perfect. Not too sweet, light and crunchy and the cracked black pepper gives the biscotti a nice little ‘sumpin-sumpin’ at the end.
The recipe comes from one of my new favorite cookbooks, ‘Gifts Cooks Love’ by Diane Morgan – I highly recommend getting it for your kitchen library; no fancy ingredients but really terrific recipes and ways you can present them as gifts. Speaking of gifts, these biscotti would be a terrific gift for your coffee lovers – place a few in a mug or wrap in cellophane gifts bags, add a pound of espresso beans and you have something really special. Valentine’s day is just around the corner – I say bake these regardless of the weather!
- Position one rack in the center of the oven and another rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the sifted ingredients in 2 batches, beating after each addition until the flour disappears. Do not overmix. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the cherries, chocolate and pepper.
- Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface. The dough will be a bit sticky. Divide the dough in half. With lightly floured hands, roll each half into a log 1-1/2 inches thick and about 15 inches long. Place both logs about 3 inches apart on a nonstick or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until lightly firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Place one log on a cutting board. With a sharp serrated knife and using a sawing motion, carefully cut the log on a slight diagonal into ½-inch thick slices. Place the slices on their sides on the baking sheet. Repeat with the second log, using an additional baking sheet to arrange the biscotti in a single layer. Bake until dried out and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Turn each slice over and bake until lightly golden, 10 minutes longer. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
I love a savory bite in something sweet! When I saw the title of these over at Cake Duchess, I had to come see. Just gorgeous, a must try for me! Hope you have a great week and stay warm!
-Gina-
And I say.. I’d like to be snowed in with a large cookie jar of THESE babies!! Absolutely love the flavours 🙂
These look amazing! I love Biscotti and now thinking I should add these to my “must make” list. I’ve been following your blog for a while, but saw you on Mingle Monday and wanted to say hi and tell you how much I’ve enjoyed your blog 🙂
I am soooo out of touch with the rest of the country! So sorry you’re buried in snow, but sounds like you’re well prepared. And who cares if you lose power; in my opinion, it’s more romantic to live by candlelight.
Meanwhile, we’re baking in the CA sunshine. I spotted the beginning of the season’s first strawberry today. It’s teeny and green, but should be red and ready in a couple of weeks.
Stay warm… Spring is just around the corner. I hope…
[K]
Yummo, biscotti with chocolate. I bake Moroccan biscotti all the time but never used chocolate. Next time for sure!
mmm that does smell good and that last pic with the coffee cup? Oh, that practically made me leap off my couch to get a pot brewing and into the kitchen to make these. Lovely!
Hi Sweet Woman…I hope you are safe and warm! We had rolling blackouts yesterday in Austin, and I’m so thankful that our power was quickly restored. Thank you for sharing another beautiful recipe with me. I love biscotti (it makes great gifts!) Thank you for sharing!
You must be exhausted after all that housework!
Wonderful sounding recipe. I’ve not ever made biscotti, but I’m thinking the right kind could make for a great dipper.
Wish I was at your home all cozied up with these biscotti. I would be a very happy camper. We were snowed in for 4 days a few weeks back because we were hit so hard with the snow. Apparently it is set to move our way next. Spring hurry up and get here!
Mmmm…mmm…love that sumpin sumpin! These biscotti sound and look delicious! I love the flavor combo. Your preps sound like us prepping for a hurricane. Not fun. Hope younger warm and you don’t lose power Deb (((hugs)))
I think its crazy everyone is getting hit so hard with this storm & here in MN we only got 4 inches of snow this time. That biscotti sounds right up our alley. Stumbled.
Love these–nice combination of flavors! I like the way you think, baking in preparation for the storm. 🙂
That sounds really freaky! Stay safe – it looks like you are doing the perfect thing – baking and enjoying until the storm passes through! Love this flavor combination!
Stay safe in this wild weather–I hope you don’t lose power!
Speaking of wild–the combination of cracked pepper and chocolate is crazy, but leave it to you guys to make it work!
these look delicious! i’d drink coffee just to eat these. 🙂
love your site. the music pairing is such a cute idea!
I love the little ompha ompha from the black pepper. These sound like a perfect vehicle to ride out the storm. Stay safe. It sounds like a scary one.
Debra, I hope you endure the ice storm safely. I have never made biscotti, but have several bookmarked to try. I am adding yours, hoping for a rainy day to get “rained in” (we have to invent our own little drama here in SoCal:)
Perfect treat for a snowed in day! Stay warm!
Winter’s been tough on a lot of the country this year…I feel for you, I really do. I have kids (one in Michigan and one in NYC) that are putting up with this constant mess.
Anyway, these biscotti look super. I really like the chocolate cherry combo and what fun to have black pepper perking things up!
Doesn’t it sound kind of fun to get snowed in? It’s really coming down here too. My hubby went out and shoveled and we’ll probably have to do it again here soon! Love this biscotti. Looks yummy!
Hah! I’m loving the cup and saucer with beach background. We could both use a little of that to go with these beautiful biscotti right now, huh?
This looks amazing! I will be making this for sure! Hope to see y’all soon!
Love the pepper addition with the chocolate and the cherry. That bit of spice sounds lovely.
I love this combination of flavors in a biscotti. I’d like a plateful, myself!
Keeping my fingers crossed that you don’t lose your power and that all’s well, Deb. {{Hugs!}}
This looks delish, esp the choco and cherry, two of my favorite flavors. I wonder if I could try these with a flour other than wheat (I can’t have it). I’m going to experiment because these seem like they would be worth it. And I’ll be thinking about you. I can’t believe the weather this winter! Of course, down here in FL…well, never mind. You just stay warm! 😉
I’m loving the chocolate/cherry combo. It sounds so delicious. I hope you guys make it through the big storm and keep your power! Stay warm!
I’m grabbing my boots, and earmuffs, and gloves, and maybe a snowmobile and of course my ipod and heading your way.
By all means, when a power outage is looming, start baking biscotti! My survival kit includes spiced rum, cocoa packets, and a book light. With those three items, I can curl up in front of the fireplace and weather any storm! Stay warm!
Goodness yes… I could use a big plate of these and a cup of coffee right now.
I grew up on Stella D’Oro biscotti. Hated it! So hard on your teeth! I never realized how much I liked biscotti until I started baking my own. Love the addition of cracked pepper!
Hope you guys are okay up there. Stay warm and safe! 🙂
I should have sent Mr. B to your house last night, although with all of this goodness, he might never come home! Good luck surviving the storm. What a crazy Winter this year!
A little spicy hit from the black pepper sounds great! Hope you don’t lose power today.
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This sound perfect for what we are expecting today in Chicago-land!! I love the use of the cracked pepper. I wasn’t expecting that at all. Batten down the hatches and best of luck to you guys.
Oh my! I hope you weather the storm easily and that you are able to keep your power. I’m thinking warm (although right now even Florida isn’t all that warm) and safe thoughts your way.
This is a fascinating combination of spicy and sweet that I hadn’t before experienced. Thanks for another great post. I wish your house filled with delectables.