Easter is just about my favorite holiday. I know this is the holiest week out of the Catholic year and that I should be reflecting and doing some serious soul searching, but in all honesty I'm thinking about food and decorations. I can't help it. I am giddy with Easter fever. So imagine my delight when I recently ran across a recipe for Easter Biscotti that uses jelly beans. What a beautiful union of colors to dip in my caffeine.

I found it on a site devoted almost entirely to recipes and food experimentation. The author, Joe, has had a lifelong love of food exploration and has created Culinary in the Desert to his wanderings and discoveries. Joe mentions that he had to somewhat modify his typical biscotti recipe to accommodate the jelly beans. He used butter, which made the recipe somewhat more sticky than usual, but by wetting his hands he was able to easily shape the loaf. He also states that the loaf must cool somewhat after baking so that the jelly beans can harden to prevent any sticking when cutting the bicottie pieces. I very much appreciate his tips about the stickiness because the sticky factor is what typically prevents my forays into cooking and baking endeavors. Biscotti is one of the few recipes I have successfully created in my kitchen so I am definitely going to give this one a try.

Easter Biscotti

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, divided - at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
12 ounces Jelly Beans

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.

Add in the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the Jelly Beans. The dough may be a bit sticky. Scoop dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Take one half and roll lightly back and forth making a log about the length of your baking sheet. Carefully place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the second piece.Using wet fingers if the dough is sticky, flatten each log a bit.In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg and brush evenly over each log.

Bake for about 23-28 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown.Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10-15 minutes (can go a little more.) Using a serrated knife, carefully slice them on the diagonal into about 1/2 slices. Stand each slice back on the baking sheet - it is ok if they touch. Bake for another 10-12 minutes until the edges turn a slight golden brown.

Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.