Almond, Lemon and Anise Biscotti with Chocolate

It all started innocently enough.  All I needed to do was cut the lawn.  I loaded the lawnmower into my trunk for it's weekly trip through town, from it's home in my mom's shed to my house.  It's a heavy thing and I managed to wrangle it both in and out of my trunk alone.  I pressed the cold start button the requisite ten times, as instructed and pulled the cord.  Nothing.  Over and over again.  Nothing.  I swore.  I pushed the button ten more times, still nothing.  Ten more times just for good measure, what does this thing do anyways?  I kicked it once or twice.

Gas started dripping, from where I wasn't sure, down into the well that protects the blades.  Faster and faster it dripped, pretty soon it was a stream.  Shane woke from his all-to-short sleep.  He told me what I did wrong.  You flooded the engine you turd.  The gas ended up on the grass.  Bad Alyssa, bad.

The next day we looked into the gas chamber.  Bone dry.  We added a little gas, it turned on! And then it died.  Again and again.  It wasn't going to work.  Plan B, borrow Bill's.  I walked over to our neighbor's house and asked to borrow his lawnmower, citing an unruly lawn as our excuse to using it immediately.  I promised cookies as I always do.  These are what I made.  

Every time I make biscotti I'm reminded how much I like them.  And while I've liked every type I've made in the past, I'd say this is the best yet.  100%.  After I gave Bill his allotment I gave my sister a bag and brought the rest to work.  They went over so well I was asked if they could be purchased!  The biscotti are very well balanced.  Almond and chocolate are the main flavours, with a subtle note of anise and a bright pop of lemon.  Perfect I'm telling you, perfect.

Baking notes:

-The cookies are very easy to make and come together in no time at all.

-I forgot to reduce the oven temperature to 300 for the second baking and nothing went wrong.  

-I didn't understand the cocoa powder brushed on at the end.  I feel like all it did was make the chocolate look dull.  Maybe I'm wrong?  Next time I'll skip that step.

-If you taste the batter raw it'll taste heavily of anise, don't worry, it mellows out.

The recipe for Almond, Lemon and Anise Biscotti with Chocolate is not available online, for some reason unbenounced to me.

21/569