An easy biscotti recipe to try

I had this Italian-themed dinner party to go to last night and for some reason I volunteered to bring dessert, even though I don't have time to do much cooking these days, much less baking. Fortunately, I found an easy biscotti recipe on the Food Network Web site that chef Rocco DiSpirito apparently shared on an episode of "Melting Pot." I used vanilla extract instead of anise extract because I'm not a licorice fan, sprinkled the rolls with cinnamon and sugar and added chocolate chips to half of the batch, and it turned out pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. (My fellow dinner partiers agreed.) It wasn't too dry and crumbly either, maybe because I only toasted it for 6 minutes on each side instead of the suggested 6 to 10, and it was delicious dunked in coffee with a bit of Baileys. I'm sure these would also be great with almond extract, sliced almonds or other variations, as some of these reviewers suggested. Here's the recipe -- let me know if you try it.

Biscotti

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon anise extract, or 3 drops anise oil
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and anise flavoring until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2-inch thickness.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack (I just let them cool for a bit right on the cookie sheets-LB). When the cookies are cool enough to handle, slice each 1 crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Cookie slices should be lightly toasted.