Holiday Cookie Swap 2011: Mint Brownie Biscotti

It's been quite a tradition to participate in an annual cookie exchange/swap during the first weekend of December and this year is no exception! This weekend, I'm participating in 3 different swaps - one with girlfriends, another with fellow foodies around Chicagoland and lastly, one with fellow food bloggers around the country. Talk about a lot of cookies going 'round! Although I'm gluten free, I'm not going to let that stop me from participating. Besides, for me, cookie exchanges are all about making and sharing. I plan on sharing the gluten laden cookies I receive to those who can enjoy them!

But first, I have to thank the wonderful folks at Glad and FoodBuzz who helped making my holiday baking even more meaningful this year. Together, Glad and FoodBuzz teamed up to offer me the opportunity to participate in the Glad to Give campaign through a holiday cookie exchange. This campaign is a non-profit that raises funds to support pediatric cancer research for Cookies for Kids' Cancer. In fact, if you host a Cookie Exchange or Bake Sale to benefit Cookies for Kids' Cancer, Glad will donate $.10 for each cookie exchanged or sold this November-December, up to $100,000! Please visit Cookies for Kids' Cancer to register your event and share your success...

When it comes to cookie exchanges, my go-to cookie to make are biscotti. They're wonderful with coffee or tea, can keep longer than most cookies and are sturdy to withstand mailing too! I also love making them in all sorts of flavors so they're quite versatile as well. So for my cookie swaps this weekend, I prepared several types of biscotti to exchange, swap and ship to friends for the holiday. One kind I made were these Mint Brownie Biscotti. It's a delicious combination of brownie and biscotti studded with mint chips throughout... making it the perfect accompaniment with coffee, tea and hot chocolate!

Mint Brownie Biscotti
recipe adapted from AllRecipes

1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour {or gluten free flour blend}
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup Andes mint chips
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease baking sheets, or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Dough will be stiff, so mix in the last bit by hand. Mix in the mint chips.

Shape the dough into an 9x4x1 inch loaf and place onto baking sheet. Brush with mixture of water and yolk.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm. Cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes.

Using a serrated knife, slice the loaves diagonally into 1 inch slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet, placing them on their sides. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on each side, or until dry. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program,
I received a holiday baking kit and stipend from Glad..