Lavender Honey Biscotti

Now I like the holidays as much as the next person. Cinnamon and cloves. Chocolate and Peppermint. The iconic seasonal flavors. It's not Christmas until you get Peppermint Bark from Trader Joe's. It's so crucial that my mom shipped several packages of it to my sister in China. She couldn't have Christmas without it.

But at least once during the holiday season I need to bake something else. I need to bake something that makes me feel like spring isn't that far off. This year, Lavender Honey Biscotti did the trick. It's light and refreshing, but at the same time warm and comforting with a cup of hot coffee.

The recipe is from Baking Illustrated: By the Editors of Cook's Illustrated, one of my favorite go-to baking books. I especially liked that the Lavender Honey Biscotti was made without butter. The recipe testers found that butter-less biscotti lasted up to a month before going stale, making these biscotti perfect for holiday gift giving.

Lavender Honey Biscotti

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the middle position. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with pan spray and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth and slightly lightened in color. Add the honey, vanilla and lavender to the eggs and sugar. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. It's ok if the dough is still a little sticky.

Divide the dough in half and place both pieces on the cookie sheet. Gently pat each piece into a rectangle roughly 2x12 inches. Bake for about 35 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. With a serrated knife, cut each loaf on a diagonal into 3/8 inch pieces. Place the cut biscotti on a baking sheet, cut side up. Lower the oven to 325°F degrees and bake for another 15 minutes, flipping each biscotti over about halfway through baking.

Make sure to let the biscotti cool completely before storing in an air tight container. If you put them away still warm, they may have too much moisture left in them and won't keep as long.

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