A Cookie a Day: Maple Walnut Biscotti

Maple-laced biscotti to dip in your cocoa or coffee. [Photograph: Lauren Weisenthal]

Biscotti are an elegant answer to the after-dinner conundrum. After savoring every last bite of your roast beef or golden, juicy duck, you're left with a full belly...and a nagging sweet tooth.

I'm sure your Christmas dessert table is piled high with tempting goodies. Pies and cakes and maybe even an elegant tart or crème brûlée. But you really don't have the stomach space to have a bit of each. Maybe just a cup of tea...

And one of these maple walnut numbers. These toasty twice-baked cookies have the flavors of the season and a mellow, earthy sweetness from maple syrup. They're excellent with that tea (or a tiny cup of espresso or not-so-tiny snifter of brandy.) And luckily, if you don't happen to eat them all at once, they keep beautifully for a few days stored in an airtight container.