Again with the biscotti? Where will it end? I’m still amazed that it’s as easy to make. Cutting it after the first bake is a different story (due to the fun add-ins). It’s a great quick breakfast to hold me over until lunch. Throw in a large cold brew and I’m good to deal with the unexpected meetings and unhappy clients. I can read the boring policy documents and write the procedures much more easily after a slice of biscotti.

I’ve been missing Hawaii lately due to the inability to travel. I guess I’m part of the next wave of the vaccine, but even then I know it’s not free reign to travel the world. I so desperately want to go on a vacation. I’m still getting used to working for owners that have your back and understand you can’t please everyone. They appreciate the work life balance. My dealings with life still make me feel like I’m waiting for the next crash, but I know that’s the old way of looking at life. Growing is hard. Now that I’ve rambled out some mental stuff let’s get back to laying on a beach in Hawaii. What better way to lie to myself than enjoy the tropical flavors. It’s almost like being there right? Coconut, dried pineapple, and macadamia nuts all bring out my longing for a good cup of coffee and a trip around the islands. It’s very high on my list of things to do once life starts to allow travel.

This batch was a small experiment on two fronts. First front is removing an egg from the recipe. That means no additional yolk for moisture, and no egg wash on top. I can’t say I was a fan of the egg wash anyway. The second experiment is the photo you see. I used to love taking pictures, but that slowly left me during my depression. Photography can be my second form of creativity, if I’ll let myself experience the learning and failure from it. So anyway back to the pictures. I know that to grow this thing you have to have standout photos as you eat with your eyes first. Keep your eyes out and let me know if you see the quality of the pictures improving.

Ingredients

Biscotti:

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (1 stick)
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 Cup sweetened dried pineapple
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 Cup whole unsalted macadamia nuts

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees (this will change later)
Line a baking pan with parchment paper
Cream the butter and sugar In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment on
Add the eggs and yolk to the creamed butter and sugar and mix
Mix in the vanilla, and coconut extract
In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder
Slow mix in the dried ingredients to the wet, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed
Rough chop the pineapple and macadamia nuts (I went for a quarter of their original size)
Mix in the chopped macadamia nuts, chopped pineapple, and sweetened flaked coconut until just integrated
Place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet, wet your hands slightly as the dough is sticky, and form into a loaf about 12” long 3” wide and 1” tall.
Bake for 30 minutes and remove from oven.
Reduce Oven temperature to 325
Let cool 5 minutes and then slice into 1/2 - 3/4” slices with a serrated knife, Separate slightly
Place back into the oven and bake an additional 30-35 minutes.
Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then move to a cooling rack to cool