I fell in love with biscotti many years ago and every year, I bake several batches to give as Christmas presents. While it's great fun for me to add different ingredients, I discovered a few years ago that some people I gave them to didn't understand that they are supposed to be hard and dry. Some actually thought I was giving them old cookies, so now, I always include a slip of paper telling a brief history of biscotti and suggesting that the recipient try dunking their cookies in their coffee or tea -- or a glass of wine if they want to go Tuscan! Now, people actually ask me if I will give them some biscotti for Christmas.

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