My husband and I threw a co-ed baby shower yesterday.  We avoided baby shower games because I think the mom-to-be, a police officer, probably would never have spoken to us again.  Since we were already headed down a non-traditional path, I wanted to go a little different way with the food.

I decided on a cookie buffet, with a plate of tiny cupcakes thrown in.  I made chocolate chip cookie bars, black pepper spice drop cookies, lemon bars and several others.  One of my favorites turned out to be these Gingerbread Biscotti, partially because I kinda made them up as I went along. 

Here’s my recipe:

1 box spice cake mix

1 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons molasses

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Combine all ingredients in a mixer bowl.  Mix until it forms a soft dough.  Divide dough in half.  Form into two rectangles, about 1/2 inch thick, 3 inches wide and 12 inches long.

Bake until the biscotti is firm to the touch in the middle, about 20 – 25 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes.

Cut biscotti into 1/2 inch wide slices.  Lay them with a cut side down on the baking sheet.

Bake another 10 minutes.  Turn the oven off and leave them in the oven for 30 minutes.

Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

Because of their dry nature, biscotti will keep for weeks if stored properly, making them a great cookie for gifts!