OK, this made me laugh, in spite of – or maybe because of – all the seriousness that surrounds us these days…the economy, the war, the hope that the US elects the right leader in 2008 for the major challenges ahead (and there’s more we could worry about, but let’s leave it at that).

As I was checking updates on something, I learned that Tuesday, February 5, is not only Super Tuesday in the US (when one or more candidates for the US presidency may find out it is, suddenly, “game over” for them), but it’s also World Nutella Day!*

Participate, I must. And to do that, I must post a Nutella recipe on my blog by midnight tonight. (If you haven’t tried Nutella, well…you’re in for a major treat. We first had it on crepes in Paris a few years ago and unfortunately, I found it here, as well. It’s a very dangerous invention).

Here, then, is a recipe I found and adapted a while back for Nutella Biscotti.

I always make biscotti in double the normal quantity, then freeze some (packaged a dozen to a bag) to give as a quick gift when a celebration is in order, or a little encouragement is needed sometime, somewhere. (You’d be surprised at the power of homemade biscotti to set the world right, if only for a moment).

Nutella Biscotti

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour (to add just a tiny bit of nutrition, I sometimes use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour)
1/4 c. cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup nutella
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat eggs with an electric mixer. Add sugar and beat on high for 2 minutes. Add nutella and continue beating. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and continue to beat until well-mixed. Add chocolate chips and nuts.

Divide dough into logs (this quantity of dough will make a total of about 6 logs) and and flatten to approximately 1/2 inch thick on well-greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Remove baking sheets from oven. Reduce oven to 300F.

Using a serrated knife, cut logs diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange on baking sheet and return to oven.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Move cookies to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container or freeze the extra (with this quantity, even with how wonderful Nutella is, there WILL be extra).

Share, and enjoy.

Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies.

*Here’s the photo I couldn’t resist, that led me to the blog that opened my eyes to the wide ranging importance of February 5.