If you been around these parts you know that I’m not a cookie person. I mention that very fact last year when I participating in the first Food Blogger Cookie Swap.

So after that, you may wonder why in the world would I sign up again for this years Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap by the amazing duo Lindsay of Love & Olive Oil and Julie of the Little Kitchen.

It took me less than 5 minutes to sign up once the announcement email hit my inbox back in November.

Then I totally forgot about them until mid November when I received my matches and had to think about “THE” cookie.

Tom and I are in the middle of the last legs of planning our wedding, so you can imagine how crazy busy I am. I barely have a chance to catch my breath, let alone look for that perfect cookie recipe to share with my matches.

But, after looking at over a 100 recipes, I stumbled upon a recipe in an old Italian magazine called Biscotti al Rosmarino e Limone – Rosemary Cookies with lemon.

It had me at Rosemary. I, of course, changed it a bit and added lime instead and I had some pignoli and almonds and said, why not? So in they went.

The results?

A perfect holiday cookie if I say so myself. Hopefully my matches [Sweetness Hunter, Cookie District & Making Life Sweet] liked them as much as we did in our house.

ROSEMARY BISCOTTI WITH ALMONDS AND PIGNOLI
Makes 36 cookies

1 cup butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
1¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup fine semolina flour
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup pignoli nuts, toasted
¼ cup almonds, toasted and chopped

Place the almonds and pignoli on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven set at 350F for about 10 minutes. Let the nuts cool. When they are cool enough to handle, put the almonds (not the pignoli) in a food processor and pulse 2 or 3 times, until all of the large pieces have been chopped.
Beat together the butter and sugar, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom to be sure it is well incorporated.
Mix together the flours, rosemary, lime zest and salt in a separate medium bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar with the mixer on low speed. Mix just until incorporated. Add the nuts and stir to combine.
Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place one part on a long sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log about 10 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Twist the ends to make a tight log. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or siltpad.
Slice one of the cookie dough logs into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between the cookies. Bake, 2 baking sheets at a time, until the cookies are deep golden brown on the bottom and look dry on top, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Repeat with the second log of dough.

If you want to participate in the next one, visit The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and sign up and also check out the cookies that travelled all around the world this year.

I will also like to thank the awesome bloggers that took the time to bake and send me their cookies, be sure to visit their blogs and get those recipes.

Mom Foodie - Blommin.com

Kristin at Per L’amore Di Cibo