Here comes the sun!

Do you ever have days in winter when you can't remember what the sun looked like or you can't even remember when you last saw it? I felt that way this week. My power went out a few days ago, prompting me to go stay with my friend Shannon. It seemed like a good idea at the time...as a matter of fact, she and I had a good time, the kids had a good time, but we didn't have that great of a time WITH the kids. Siblings fought, tears where shed, names were called. At 4 o'clock each night we found ourselves looking at our watches and declaring it "Cocktail" time! I have had this happen several times with friends. We get together, and double the number of kids, but I always think, "Hey there are two of us! So we can handle these kids!" Not really.....because really it just ends up being double the trouble and two moms against four just doesn't really add up to a good time. So how do these polygamist wives do it!? In theory you could sit back and say, "I can see the madness in this!" More moms, less work, less trouble! But you see the problems come when the kids outnumber the moms, and I dare say that in polygamist sects their kids WAY outnumber them putting Shannon and I to shame! Please don't think I am stereotypicalizing the polygamist lifestyle, but I am kinda sure they have more than two kids per. :)

Anywho, as my friend says, I made these biscotti the other night, when Shannon and I were practicing being polygamist sect wives, with our four children, I made us some biscotti. My kids looked at it like they were bad cookies that had been baked too long, but their friends John and Chris loved them! So my kids decided maybe they weren't so bad.
Warning...I saw the reviews on these and saw that some people said they were too hard and they had to dunk them in their tea or coffee. I thought that was the purpose of biscotti but maybe not. So be warned, they are crunchy! :) Also, I added finely chopped almonds and cherries. I think that made a big difference. You can use white chocolate if you want. Biscotti are twice baked. You will bake them in logs once then cross slice them, and lay them out on a sheet and rebake them so that they are crunchy.

Here is the recipe:
Chocolate Citrus Biscotti
Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 large eggs
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon orange zest
* 1 tablespoon lemon zest
* 1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar in another large bowl until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange and lemon zests to the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the eggs and sugar and beat just until blended (the dough will be soft and sticky). Let stand for 5 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, forming two mounds spaced evenly apart. Moisten your hands with water and shape the dough into two 11 by 4-inch logs. Bake until lightly brown, about 35 minutes. Cool the logs for 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. Arrange the biscotti cut side down on the same baking sheet. Bake until the biscotti are pale and golden, about 25 minutes. Cool the biscotti on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds, about 1 1/2 minutes total. Dip 1 cut side of each biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti, chocolate side up, on the baking sheet. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes. Dip a pastry brush in the cocoa, then lightly brush the cocoa over the chocolate on each biscotti.

The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.