An Empty Cookie Jar

I got a big, beautiful pottery cookie jar for my birthday, so August and I were both anxious to get something in it. Because I've been trying to cut back on the sweets, I chose cornmeal-almond biscotti from the Once Upon a Tart cookbook. I'm kind of reluctant to call them biscotti, though. The cornmeal made them more sandy than usual biscotti. Not unpleasant. Just different. I added poppyseeds because I didn't hae the chopped almonds, so that added to that coarse-grained crunchiness.

The recipe was funny. It seemed pretty clear to me, from measurements like 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons, that the recipe was increased by 50 percent. So I made 20 cookies, which was 2/3 of the recipe. It was easy to split that way:

I creamed 8 tablespoons butter with 1 cup sugar, then beat in 2 eggs, one at a time, and 1 tablespoon almond extract. In a separate bowl, I mixed 2 cups flour with 1/2 cup cornmeal, 2 tablespoons poppyseeds, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (the only measurement that didn't break down too well by 2/3; it should be 1 1/3 teaspoon, but who has 1/3 teaspoon measuring spoon?) and a pinch of salt.

Stir the dry into the wet, then, using floured hands, form into a 4-inch-circumference log. I did it on my silpat, then brushed off the excess flour before baking it in a 350 oven for 40 minutes. Let it cool completely, then cut into 20 slices. Lay biscotti on their cut sides and bake for another 30 minutes.