Sometimes you don't have time to create a dessert from scratch but need something that looks like you spent hours in the kitchen--like Strawberry-White Chocolate Biscotti. These little cookies take minutes to whip up using a cake mix and require only one cookie sheet for minimal cleanup. The biscotti, in honor of Valentine's Day, have a pink hue and lace-like white chocolate drizzle. In other words, the cookies look impressive. They also taste really good. The biscotti are crisp and have a strawberry-almond flavor that isn't overpowering. Rich, buttery white chocolate provides contrast and sweetness as you crunch into the biscotti. Admittedly, the biscotti take about an hour to make, but most of the time is oven time, not hands-on effort. You can mix the cookies up in a few minutes and bake them while you do other things--like make dinner. The biscotti can cool while you eat your meal and be ready and waiting for dessert. The biscotti are special on their own but can happily accompany coffee, a sweet wine, or, my preference, a bowl of ice cream.
Strawberry-White Chocolate Biscotti -- Makes about 24
1/4 cup of canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
2 tablespoons of water
1 15-16 ounce box of strawberry-flavored cake mix (with pudding in it)
1/2 cup of almond flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 cup of white chocolate pieces or chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl whisk together well the canola oil, eggs, vanilla, almond extract, and water. Add the box of cake mix and almond flour and stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spoon. The batter will be thick. Spoon two "logs" of batter out onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 3-4 inches between the logs. Moisten your hands with water and shape the logs so that they are about 8 inches long and 1-2 inches wide. Sprinkle the tops of the logs with a little sugar. Bake the logs for about 30 minutes or until the tops are set and lightly brown. Remove the logs from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. With a sharp knife, cut the logs into slices about 1/2-3/4-inch thick. Lay the slices, cut-side down, on the baking sheet and return them to the oven for 8-10 minutes. Flip the slices and return them to the oven for another 8-10 minutes. Let the slices cool a little. Meanwhile melt the white chocolate pieces in the microwave on medium power, stirring them about every 15 seconds until they reach a spreading consistency. With a fork drizzle or paint some of the white chocolate over one side of each of the biscotti. Let the white chocolate harden (it won't take but a few minutes) and serve the biscotti.
