Bossy Italian Wife : Cookie Redemption

So you might recall last week when I had an epic [cookie] fail. The cookies got all crazy due to the fact that my baking powder was old as time, and my cookies ultimately fell flat... as pancakes! I vowed to get my cookie confidence back, which is sort of like getting your sexy back, only the cookie version of it.

For this, I would not go up against the same cookie. No, no. I am no where near ready to relive the trauma of that yet. First I needed a rebound or two. I chose three and made a citrus walnut biscotti, sugar cookies, and good old fashioned chocolate chip. I spent a total of 6 hours in my cookie haze, and when I emerged, I was triumphant for I, Bossy Italian Wife, had purchased new baking powder!!!

Since it's that holiday season thingy, I thought it would be the perfect time to share my pictures of my cookie party triumph! Perhaps they will entice you to make your own cookies...you know, in the name of Santa putting baby Jesus down the chimney.

Welcome to my cookie party!

Citrus Walnut Biscotti

I used a Giada Di Laurentiis recipe for citrus almond biscotti from Everyday Italian, and added a few of my own twists... like changing up the type of orange and nut. If you don't own this cookbook, I have to say, it's one of those you can go back to again and again. She is a great, French trained chef with an Italian heritage, and it all melds into the perfect cookbook in Everyday Italian!

Also, did you know that biscotti means twice baked? Yes, that also means you have to bake it twice, but really it's not bad at all. Observe....

Zesting fruit is tedious, and I have made it doubly tedious with my strange little grater. *sigh* maybe Santa will bring me a new zester....

Getcha flour all measured up.

Take a clever picture of yourself whisking dry ingredients...

...and your eggs, all laid out pretty!

In this recipe, there is no butter, which I find awesome. It makes them that much healthier!

See all that zest I got with that little zester? I deserve a metal for that one, I think.

Adding wet ingredients to the dry ingredients

And add a few nuts!

Plop them down in two piles on a sheet

Then make them into a two loaf like things.

(wetting your hands for this step makes it miles easier!)

They bake this way for something along the lines of 30 minutes on 325 degrees.

Then they look like this.

Then you cut them into the classic biscotti shape.

It's funny how I used to wonder about their shape...like, was it special, or that shape on purpose. Turns out it was neither, just the result of loafing and cutting. Ah, it's the little things....it really is!

Anyway, after you cut them you put them back on the tray and bake 'em again.

Then you get these, and you eat 'em, you eat 'em!

Sugar Cookies:

This recipe was an "old fashioned" style recipe I found after sifting through about 20 sugar cookie recipes (online.)

These cookies, unlike the biscotti, have a ton of butter in them.

MMMM....butter. *drool*

Okay ingredients, you ready to become cookies? Ready or not, here I come!

POOF! It was like magic... only magic that had to be put in the refrigerator for 3 hours to chill before you bake them, which I did. It took a lot of patience, but I was determined!

While the cookie dough was chillin' in the fridge, I came up with some ideas...