I moved to New York for my husband’s job, but it ended up being a beneficial move for me as well. I found my agent, and eventually my publisher while living here. And when the time came to meet with my potential editor and a herd of others from Simon Spotlight, I was just a subway ride away. When my agent called to inform me of this meeting, of course I was thrilled, but equally terrified.

What would I say? What would I wear? But most importantly, what would I bring to eat? Food has the ability to say so much about a person and, considering I was writing a food memoir, I wanted to bring the perfect item. My meeting was at 11 in the morning—not really breakfast, not really brunch. I needed something that was easily transportable. Share-able. Not to heavy. And above all delicious. I poured over my repertoire for a week. Cookies? Too sweet. Cupcakes? Too quaint. What about a frittata? Too much. And then I found it: biscotti.

Restrained, rustic, with the right amount of body to say, “Yes, I have substance, seriously look at this book I am writing, and enjoy a little something sweet while you do it.” In general, biscotti were not really on my radar. I always enjoy them, I just never think to make them. But I had made these biscotti before. They were as trust worthy as they were delicious.

The recipe is heavily adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Originally they are flavored quite heavily with anisette. I opted out of the anisette, and substituted dried cranberries. I think it can be a little dicey to bake with anisette, unless you know your audience; never have I found a person who feels mildly about black licorice. They either love it, or hate it. I was trying to please many with my biscotti, not drive them away from the biscuit, and by extension—the book.

And I guess these biscotti did the trick. They will be forever known as The Lucky Biscotti. The next time you really want things to go your way, or even when you just feel like a little something sweet to have with your morning coffee, mix up a batch of these biscotti.

The Lucky Biscotti
adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook

makes 20-24 biscotti

3/4 cup hazelnuts
4 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roast the nuts on a small baking sheet for 15 minutes, or until fragrant. In order to peel the nuts, place in a tea or kitchen towel, and rub to remove papery skins. Pick out the nuts. Finely chop 1/4 cup, and coarsely chop remainder. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, barely cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, nuts, baking powder, and salt, tossing to mix well. Add to the butter mixture, and mix. Add the cranberries, stirring to combine.

Divide the dough in half. Roll each portion into a log, approximately 2 inches in diameter. You may need to dust the counter with flour. Make sure the dough is firmly pressed into shape, so the biscotti will not be too crumbly upon cutting. Place on a cookie sheet, and bake until lightly brown and just firm to the touch, 20-25 minutes.

Transfer cookie logs to a cutting board and slice at an angle 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Place biscotti on the same cookie sheet to bake once again for 5 minutes, or until lightly brown. Cool completely, and place in an airtight container.