A tradition has begun

I love holiday traditions, especially those that involve food.  Last year for Christmas, I made Dear Friend K chai tea mix, not expecting the overwhelmingly positive response I got from her.  So, I determined this year that I will do my very best to make her something every year that involves chai flavors.  This year, I made chai biscotti.  You see, K moved far, far away, so anything I made for her had to be able to stand up to shipping across the country.  Biscotti are hardy little suckers.

I have to say I was not thrilled with these.  They tasted good, but I felt like they needed more chai flavoring.  More intense spices.  Maybe I will try to remake them with more spices.  But, in the meantime, I added a dark chocolate drizzle, because really, what can't be improved by adding some chocolate to it? 

Chai Biscotti
Source: Kitchen Trial and Error
Makes 24

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 black tea bags, cut open and the tea loose
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Using a mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, then add the sugar, spices and tea. Mix until creamed. Add the baking powder and salt and mix until combined. Add the flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until incorporated.
3. Dived the dough roughly in half (eyeball it). Using wet hands, roll each half into a log about 12 inches long. Lay the lot onto the sheet pan and gently push the log down until it is about 3/4 inch high. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the tops are just starting to crack and brown.
4. Let the logs cool on the pan for five minutes and then transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut each log into about 3/4 inch pieces. Lay the pieces back on the sheet pan, bottom side down, leaving room between the cookies. Bake an additional 12 minutes, or until the sides feel dry to the touch.
5. Cool on a cooling rack and store in an airtight container.
6. If you want to do the chocolate drizzle, melt some dark chocolate in a boil over a pan of simmering water.  When it is melted, drizzle over the biscotti and let set before storing.