Monday, December 26, 2011

Great gift for Teachers or save them for you!

I have many teacher gifts to hand out each year.  Since we like to bake, I like to make something special, delicious, and decadent for each one.  The teachers work so hard and spend so much time with my kids. I want to give them something from the heart.  Well most of my kids teachers are awesome and this year I made a new recipe, Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cranberry Mandelbread.  Yes, it is a mouthful to say, but it is oh so good to eat.
I have not one picture to post.  As soon as I made a batch of these biscotti like cookies, my kids would try to eat them.  I had to only bake teacher gifts while the kids were in school, then quickly box them up and hand them out.
Try this recipe. It is so good, dipped in hot tea!
Pistachio, Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Mandelbread
1 and 3/4 cup flour
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 T. butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar, reserve some for dusting on top
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 375
In a bowl, combine flour baking powder and salt.  Stir in the pistachios, chocolate chips and cranberries till well blended.
Beat butter and sugar on medium speed. Save a little sugar fro dusting on top at the end.  Add in eggs.  Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for a minute or so.  Take dough out of bowl, make sure your hands are well covered in flour.  Divide dough into 3 pieces and form into three long, fat sticks.  Place the sticks on a baking sheet, they will not grow much, so dont worry if the sheet is crowded.
Bake 20-25 minutes till brown.
Let cool about 30 minutes.
Gently cut the cooled loaves on an angle into 1/2 inch slices using a bread knife.  But the cut sides up on the baking sheet and sprinkle on the remaining sugar.  Bake 4-6 minutes more until lightly browned.
Serve with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
Enjoy!

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