Lemon-Poppy Seed Biscotti

I like rituals. They give me a peace of mind. They settle me into a permanence that I can take comfort in. It's not that I don't like change; instead, it is because rituals excite change that I like them. I love the ritual of coffee, the familiarity of its taste. I used to have a working espresso machine, and I must say, it was one of the best purchases I made. I used to enjoy grinding the coffee beans, packing my espresso, and watching it extract to form a crema. I enjoyed how hands-on the process was, how involved I had to be to get my morning cup. With it broken (R.I.P), I now must resort to buying espresso, and while it is no great inconvenience, it is expensive.

For me, nothing goes better with coffee than a hard cookie or scone. I love to dip, to merge the flavors and let the sweetness of the cookie dampen the bitterness of my brew. These biscotti are refreshing. They will give your coffee/tea just the hint of lemon. I will admit, you do lose the slight crunch of the poppy seed among the texture of the biscotti; however, they do add a nice contrast in color.

This is another one bowl recipe that requires neither time or planning. And the recipe I have provided is what I call a base recipe: I build upon it to make any flavor biscotti I want. It is a good starting point, with nice texture and sweetness that is reliable enough to expand upon. Make these, and if you are a morning coffee drinker like me, take comfort in your rituals and enjoy these as a treat. 

Lemon-Poppy Seed Biscotti

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
Zest of 3 lemons
1/4 cup of poppy seeds


Combine eggs, honey, sugar, and lemon zest together. Add all of your dry ingredients together and mix in poppy seeds. The batter will be slightly wet and difficult to work with. Place on a baking tray that has been lined with sprayed parchment paper. Pat out with floured hands to your desired width/length. Try to keep the batter square shaped. 

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes (depending on how thin you made the batter). You want the dough to bounce back when pressed. Remove the biscotti and reduce the temperature to 275. While the oven is cooling, cut the dough at a diagonal into pieces. Re-align biscotti pieces on sheet tray and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the dough has hardened.