Eggnog Biscotti — The Perfect Pairing for a Winter Morning Egg Coffee Ritual

December. The house is mine and I'm already making changes. Small ones — I replaced the kitchen faucet (it had been dripping for three years and I couldn't fix it as a renter), patched a crack in the bathroom ceiling, repainted the front door a dark red that I'd been wanting for years. Mr. Washington looked at the new door and said, "Red?" I said, "Vietnamese tradition. Red is good luck." He said, "The smoker was already good luck." He's not wrong.

Tyler and Jessica's wedding is two months away. The logistics are solidifying: I'm driving to Midland Thursday before, renting a large offset smoker from a BBQ supply company in Odessa, and setting up at Tyler's house (which has the yard space and the electrical outlets). Four briskets, three racks of ribs, the fusion sausage. James is handling jollof rice and bringing it in a warmer. Lourdes is shipping turon from Pearland. Mai is making spring rolls at Tyler's house the day before, which means Mai is traveling to Midland, which means I am driving Mai to Midland, which means two things: five hours of highway and five hours of Vietnamese ballads on the stereo. I am prepared.

Ava is four months old and has started laughing. Real, belly laughs that come out of nowhere when you make a face or bounce her on your knee. The sound is the most healing thing I've ever heard. I make her laugh on purpose, repeatedly, at the expense of my dignity — I make faces, I blow raspberries, I do a voice that Emma calls "absurd" and Ava calls "hilarious" (she calls it hilarious by laughing; she doesn't use words yet, obviously). I will do anything to hear that laugh. Anything.

Made a big batch of Vietnamese egg coffee — cà phê trứng — which I'd had in Hanoi during the Vietnam trip (not in Hanoi, actually — I drank a version at a café in Saigon that made the Hanoi-style). Egg yolks whipped with condensed milk and sugar until thick and foamy, poured over strong Vietnamese drip coffee. It tastes like a coffee-flavored dessert — rich, sweet, with the egg yolk giving it a custard-like quality that is addictive. I make it on winter mornings now as a treat. One cup is enough. Two cups and you've had dessert before noon, which I consider a lifestyle choice, not a problem.

The cà phê trứng is already rich enough to count as dessert — I know this, I said as much — but a cup that good deserves something to sit beside it, something you can hold in one hand while the other hand holds the mug. Eggnog biscotti turned out to be exactly right: same egg-yolk richness, same warmth, the kind of thing you make in a big batch on a slow December Sunday when the front door is newly red and the house is finally, actually yours. I’ve been baking a tin of these every two weeks since. They keep well, they travel well, and I am already planning to bring a bag for Mai on the drive to Midland.

Eggnog Biscotti

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 24 biscotti

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup eggnog (full-fat, store-bought or homemade)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten (for brushing)
• 1 tablespoon coarse sugar (for topping)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until evenly distributed.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together until pale and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the eggnog, melted butter, vanilla extract, and rum extract if using.
4. Form the dough. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft, slightly sticky dough comes together. Do not overmix.
5. Shape the logs. Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet and divide it in half. With lightly floured hands, shape each portion into a log roughly 12 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Brush the tops and sides with beaten egg white and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
6. First bake. Bake for 28–30 minutes, until the logs are golden, set on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (150°C).
7. Slice and second bake. Transfer the cooled logs to a cutting board and use a sharp serrated knife to slice them on a slight diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick pieces. Arrange the slices cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, flip each piece, and bake for another 7–8 minutes, until dry and lightly golden on both sides.
8. Cool completely. Transfer biscotti to a wire rack and let cool completely. They will crisp up further as they cool. Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 105 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Carbs: 19g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 65mg