Begin-Again Biscotti
August 27, 2007 By: almostgotit Category: Chapter 2, Uncategorized, career change, food, recipesHere’s to starting over again, beginning a second career chapter, and trying things a new way!
My mother often made Italian biscotti for Christmas. Traditionally made with nuts, anise flavoring, and very little fat, they have a long shelf life – as do many job skills! And like many a woman’s career, biscotti is baked in two stages. This version makes an old favorite into something wonderfully new by using pistachios and dried cranberries! Try serving these with coffee (or red wine!) for dunking…
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1/4 cup light olive oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups pistachio nuts
Preheat oven to 300 degrees, and prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Beat oil and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Mix dry ingredients together, then gradually add to egg mixture while stirring. Fold in cranberries and pistachio nuts by hand. Wet hands with cool water and use them to shape dough into two 12×2 inch logs on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 35 minutes until light brown.
Remove pan to cooling racks for 10 minutes, meanwhile turning oven down to 275 degrees. Cut logs into ¾ inch thick slices on the diagonal, and lay slices cut-side-down on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake slices 8-10 more minutes until golden-brown and dry to the touch. Cool and store in air-tight container.
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Never tried biscotti, or no time for cooking? Order some from Peggy’s Biscotti – she’ll even let you try a couple for free! And don’t miss her wonderful COMMENT, below…
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August 27th, 2007 at 8:11 am
What a great recipe! Pistachios and cranberries! I’ve never made biscotti but now I will.
August 27th, 2007 at 10:04 am
… and you posted an Italian recipe today, too! I very much look forward to trying Pomodora (Italian Bread Soup) with the last of our summer abundance of vegetables and fresh herbs. How about a little biscotti and ice cream for dessert?
August 27th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Hi Almost! Thanks so much for including a plug for my website, Peggy’s Biscotti, in your blog.
Yes, biscotti baking is much like a woman’s career, baked in 2 stages! Prior to beginning my biscotti business I was a Registered, Licensed Dietitian with the WIC (Women, Infant, and Children’s Nutrition program) in Sioux City Iowa. In September of 1996 we adopted our first daughter. We had waited so long for a baby that I didn’t want to go right back to work again. I wanted to be able to enjoy every moment. So, I fell back on my love of baking to enable me to stay home and make a little money, too. I began baking homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, cookies, bars, and biscotti. It’s no wonder that our daughter LOVES bread and cookies! She grew up smelling the sweet aroma of homemade baked goods. On one occasion I had made some Chocolate Peanut Butter Crescents and had them cooling on the counter top in our kitchen. My daughter, then 11 months old, was sitting in the exersaucer on the floor. Somehow she managed to grab one of the chocolate peanut butter crescents and was very happily munching away on it when I noticed that one of them was missing! 
Eventually I discovered that it became too much for me to try to bake all of the different breads, cookies, and rolls. I decided that it would be better to concentrate on one item that sold well. That item was my homemade biscotti cookies. Much of my advertisement was by word of mouth. My husband would take biscotti with him and then the guys at work would place an order. Since my husband’s job would often take him out of town I would get orders from many different locations across the United States. I call my husband a “shameless promoter” because he would talk about my biscotti to everyone. If he was sitting next to someone on a plane he’d strike up a conversation with them. He would often bring along samples of biscotti and give them away. It wasn’t long before my single home oven was not large enough for my growing operation. We installed a dual wall oven on the opposite side of our kitchen to cope with the growing demand for Peggy’s Biscotti.
I began listing my biscotti on eBay in 2001 and had wonderful results. It encouraged me to start my own website. Once my biscotti was listed on the internet my business began to grow by leaps and bounds. In August of 2003 we moved my business into a former bakery location at 126 Main Street in Moville, Iowa. By this time both of our daughters were in school. I was able to stay home with them both while they were infants and toddlers. I am so grateful that my business allowed me to be a “stay at home” mom during those important formative years.
Since then my business, Peggy’s Biscotti, has seen continued growth. We have 2 large framed maps in the front of our shop. One map is of the United States and one is a World Map. On both maps we pinpoint where we are sending biscotti and if it is a wholesale or retail order. I actually bought the United States map while I was still at home with my daughters. It was fun to place the pins on the map and see where my biscotti was shipped. It also served as a mini geography lesson (for all of us) as we learned about the location of the different states and the cities where our customers lived.
Currently Peggy’s Biscotti offers 38 flavors of regular 5-1/2″ biscotti, 10 flavors of mini biscotti, 2 flavors of low carb biscotti, and 12 flavors of Organic Biscotti. We have gone from 1 employee (Peggy) to 5 employees: 10 to 12 employees during the busy holiday season. We offer beautiful biscotti gift baskets for every occasion, gift tins, gift boxes, and Biscotti of the month. Our mini biscotti is especially popular for weddings, anniversaries, and parties. We also welcome wholesale orders from coffee shops, restaurants, gift shops, and other retailers. The website address is http://www.peggysbiscotti.com and our telephone number is 712-873-5530; email address sales@peggysbiscotti.com I encourage everyone to take advantage of my Free Biscotti offer listed on the home page of website.
Many thanks to Almost for mentioning my business on her blog site.
Sincerely, Peggy Hammer; Peggy’s Biscotti
August 27th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Oh Peggy! thanks so very MUCH for sharing your story with us. I love the way you’ve woven your daughters’ story in with your own, and know that they have been very blessed by your example, having lived, literally, with the tastes and smells of a woman who loves them very much but who also has many talents and aspirations of her own.
I hope we can send some business your way! I’m thinking your gift baskets sound just perfect.
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:04 am
[...] like raspberry or caramel. Iced coffee with chocolate syrup would be fabulous! Serve it with a special biscotti like this one almostgotit makes with dried cranberries and pistachios. One taste of this, and your [...]
November 5th, 2007 at 7:42 am
[...] read more | digg story [...]
October 4th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Sounds like a perfect match with a latte, and I love the inclusion of pistachios!