
Well, this is a little awkward. You thought you clicked the wrong blog, didn't you?
I promise, it's still me here, Anum from SummerxSkin. I'm super excited to introduce a new category today and it's going to be all about FOOD. Every Friday, you can come here to find a new recipe that has been tried, tasted, touched up and perfected. Maybe we can call it Food Friday? TGIFood? I'll try to think of a better name...
To be completely transparent, I originally started this blog thinking it would be a great way for me to teach myself how to cook and share my learnings with you. Of course that didn't work out as planned and instead, I eventually married my husband who is an INCREDIBLE cook. He prepares almost 100% of our meals, but I've always been the better baker (shh, don't tell him that). It works out well because he will make dinner and I sweeten things up with dessert! He'll be helping me with this series and together, we will share AWESOME recipes with you + tips and tricks from the expert himself. Let me know what you think of the first one!
Candied Almond Biscotti

I spent a good two weeks trying different variations of biscotti recipes to find one that I really liked. James and I like our biscotti to be sweet with a touch of saltiness, perfect for dipping in coffee or tea. However, if you prefer your biscotti to be more salty, add less sugar and a bit more salt.
Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes (including prep and baking)
Serves: 30-40 pieces
What you'll need:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large white eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup candied almonds
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Mix your flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together
- Slowly beat in the eggs and vanilla extract with an electric mixer for a dough-like consistency - Tip: I add a VERY tiny amount of water to prevent the dough from becoming dry
- Continue using the electric mixer as you add in the candied almonds
- Split your dough in half so it looks like two linear ovals and place them on your baking sheet - Tip: I always line mine with parchment paper so nothing sticks
- Bake for 10 minutes and then rotate the sheet to then bake for another 10-15 minutes until the dough looks firm from the outside but presses easily
- Take it out of the oven and let it sit on a wire rack (photographed above) for about 30 minutes
- Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into logs that are 1/4-inch pieces - Tip: for fun styling and serving purposes, I tend to make some pieces a bit bigger than others for a nice variety
- Once you've cut all your dough into pieces, place them back on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes until they are browned and crisp
Let me know if you give this a try or if there is a biscotti recipe YOU really like that I should experiment with. Stay tuned for more fun foodie posts!