Can we just take a minute to talk about the new season of Queer Eye on Netflix? It is amazing. I wasted no time Friday morning when I realized it was finally on and consumed the first episode before I had to run to a work event. Then, I proceeded to come home and watch the next five episodes non-stop.
It is just so gosh darn good! The Fab 5 are unafraid to get real, and have conversations that matter with real people that matter. Mama Tammye didn’t just affect the lives of the five guys who went to help her, but she touched me in the one hour I got to witness her story and her person. I’m sure I can’t be the only one that rings true for! It’s rare that a show will bring me to tears, but this season has made me laugh and tear up unlike anything else.
Honestly, I can see the humidity and the heat in Georgia on the faces of just about everyone who graces the screen, yet I’ve still considered moving there just to run the chance of coming across these five men. Yes, I want them to fix my life and help me gain the confidence I’ve been severely lacking for the last 29-years, but I also just want to be around that openness, that willingness to listen, and that level of acceptance that they offer to literally everyone who is featured on the show.
If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend that you go do it now; and, if you haven’t even seen the first season, I don’t know why you’ve been sleeping on this: Go. Now.
But first…maybe make a batch of these Tropical Biscotti. This is the first time I’ve ever used coconut oil in any baking or cooking and, let me tell you, it’s a big improvement on the olive oil I used in the first few iterations of these biscotti. The olive oil was too noticeable in these, which isn’t what I wanted. Instead, the coconut oil is much more subtle, and it lends itself better to the tropical flavors featured in these biscotti: pineapple, mango, macadamia, and coconut. The dried pineapple and mango aren’t as sweet as you’d expect them to be, and the flavors work surprisingly well in biscotti form! Plus, the tiny bit of cinnamon and ginger–two spices typically used in heavy, warming winter bakes, accentuate the tropical brightness of the mango and the pineapple.
Finish them off with a little bit of white chocolate and some toasted coconut, and these Tropical Biscotti have the ability to take you on a sunny vacation without ever having to leave an air-conditioned house! It’ll never be the same–but when the opportunity, or the funds, aren’t there, it’s nice to at least have the flavors of the tropics to sweep you away.
| Cook Time | 40-25 minutes |
| Servings |
biscotti
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- 89 mL coconut oil
- 177 grams granulated sugar
- 2 eggs large
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 295 grams flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- zest one lemon
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 3 oz dried pineapple cut into about 1 cm pieces
- 3 oz dried mango cut into about 1 cm pieces
- 2/3 cup macadamia nuts toasted and chopped
- 1 bag white chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 cups coconut toasted and chopped
Ingredients
For Dipping
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- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet (or two smaller ones if that's what you have) with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the coconut oil and sugar until completely combined and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla extract, mixing to combine between each addition. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and lemon zest.
- Add the flour mixture, 1/2 at a time until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Fold in the chopped dried pineapple, chopped dried mango, and toasted and chopped macadamia nuts until evenly dispersed throughout the dough.
- Using a spatula, split the dough in half. Form each half of the dough into a log, about 12 in x 2.5 in, making sure there is at least an inch or two of space between the two if they are on the same baking sheet.
- Bake 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the logs cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the oven to 300°F. Transfer the logs to a cutting board and, with a serrated knife, slice on a diagonal. Each cookie should be about 1/2 inch wide.
- Line the slice biscotti on the baking sheet with one of the cut sides up. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the biscotti to cool.
- Once the biscotti are cooled, melt the white chocolate chips with 1 Tbsp of coconut oil. Heat on high 45 seconds and stir. Continue to heat at 15 second intervals, stirring every time, until the chocolate has completely melted. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread out the toasted coconut. Dip the bottom of the biscotti in the chocolate and then into the coconut. Leave the set on a cooling rack.