2 Christmas Recipes: Biscotti & Donuts

I decided to share two wonderful recipes I have made for Christmas. The biscotti I made for a Christmas eve treat and everyone loved it. It tasted wonderful dipped in coffee or hot chocolate. The donuts I made Christmas morning for breakfast. When I was a child, my grandmother used to make donuts on Christmas morning and dip them in white sugar. It was a great, basic way to enjoy home made donuts. Now, I have a new way and I have to admit, I do like it a lot better. I plan to make these every Christmas morning for Zoey as a tradition.

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. pumpkin spice
4 tbsp. butter, thinly sliced
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Using your hands, mix and work in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

2. Spoon 1 tbsp beaten eggs into cup; reserve. Add chocolate chips, vanilla, and remaining beaten eggs to flour mixture; stir until evenly moistened. With hand, knead mixture a few times in bowl until dough forms.

3. On floured surface, with floured hands, divide dough in half. Shape each half into a log; flat on the bottom, rounded over the top. Place logs on a cookie sheet. With pastry brush, brush tops and sides of logs with reserved egg. Bake logs 30-45 minutes. Bake time depends on thickness of logs. Cool logs on cookie sheet on wire rack 10 minutes.

4. Place logs on cutting board. With serrated knife, cut warm log crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. Place slices upright, 1/4 inch apart, on cookie sheet(s). Bake slices 15 minutes to allow biscotti to dry out. Cool completely on sheets on wire racks. (Biscotti will harden as they cool.) Store biscotti in tightly covered container. Enjoy dipped in coffee :)

Chocolate Glazed Donuts
Ingredients

2 cans large buttermilk biscuits
Peanut oil
Cinnamon sugar
1 c. powdered sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1/4 c. cocoa powder

Directions
1. Heat 2 inches peanut oil in a large pot to 350 degrees F. (I didn't have a way to test the temp, so I heated the oil on medium heat and put a donut in to test how fast it cooked. I adjusted the temp from there)

2. Set the cinnamon sugar on a small plate or in a shallow bowl and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and milk. Set aside. This is the chocolate glaze.

4. Lay out the biscuits on a cutting board and with a small round cookie or biscuit cutter (or a film canister works perfectly!), cut out a hole from the middle of each biscuit. Fry them in the oil until golden and then flip with tongs to fry the other side. You can even fry the donut holes. Adjust the temp as needed so the donuts don't fry too quickly and burn.

5. Drain on paper towels, then toss in the cinnamon sugar and ice with the chocolate glaze. If you want to add sprinkles, do it right away because one the glaze sets, the sprinkles won't stick. I did half with the icing and half with just the cinnamon sugar.