Christmas (cookie) time is here...

I started last weekend; I love to just bake and pile on the cookie tin. Not mixed cookies, though! I forget the rule--either soft cookies soften your hard cookies or vice versa. Anyway, first up are these Iced Gingerbread Biscotti from the November issue of Cooking Light. This was my first attempt at biscotti (not counting the mini savory ones that were part of a soup recipe) and even though I followed the directions I still worried at every step that they wouldn't turn out right.

For one thing, I don't have a stand mixer, so I had to use my hand mixer. More work for my arm but I still got the ribbons off the beaters after six minutes like the recipe says. I also wasn't sure that I mounded my dough correctly but I still managed to get eleven slices off each mound. Slicing was also tricky; I broke a couple of the ends--maybe I used the wrong knife?

But the end result was worth it. There's nothing like a cup of tea (or coffee if you're not me) and a dunked biscotti. Also all the cookie crumbs at the bottom of the cup. The gingerbread flavor was a bonus, really.