The Other Bunneh's Adventures in Baking

[wordinista]

I got such a laugh out of dqbunny's candy-making adventure that I thought it was only fair to give a little back.

Well, I've decided to make a bunch of baked goodies and share them with a few of my friends.  So I went looking through my cookbooks and family recipes and have found a collection of cookies and goodies that either (a) I've always wanted to make or (b) I've made in the past and they've gone over very well or (c) something from my childhood that my grandmother used to make and my mother doesn't make anymore.

So far I've got:

Cinnamon-almond biscotti
Pistachio crescents
Candycane crunch cookies
Almond/Anise sesame cookies (not almond and anise together, of course, but they can be flavored with either almond OR anise)
Scottish shortbread cookies
Snickerdoodles

I figure the biscotti would be the most time consuming, so I started that this morning.  I've got a recipe from my great-aunt, which I begged for after she sent us a batch a few years ago.  Something about the recipe intimidated me then, but I can't tell what it was.  So this is my first try making them.  Everything went very smoothly until I got to the part where it said to handle the dough with buttered hands, and mold dough into three strips per cookie sheet.  The recipe then said:  "Warning: Dough will be sticky."

No shit.

I felt like Brer Rabbit upon meeting the Tar Baby.  Probably looked a bit like him, too.

So the first batch of biscotti is in the oven and the house is starting to smell distinctly cinnamon-y.  Should start on the second batch now, I think.  It's kind of nice, because I've got holiday music going, and the house is decorated, and... I'm starting to get into the spirit of things, I think.  It doesn't hurt that we've got a cold front going through and I've got the windows open.

I really do anticipate getting all of this baking done today.  Especially if I, you know, don't spend a whole lot of time on LJ.

EDIT: 1:00 PM -- Well. Homemade biscotti? Is really ugly. But tastes reallygood

EDIT: 2:07 PM -- Okay, so I've made it through the biscotti, the shortbread dough is chilling in the fridge, and the sesame cookies are in the oven, and I think I'm just about ready to quit for the day. The kitchen is a disaster area, and I'm totally wussing out and getting tired. And I have to stop snacking on the biscotti.