the mandel bread recipe, which is like biscotti

So, apparently I learned nothing from yesterday's post. Today I took twenty eight shots of a bowl of walnuts. Not The Queen of England, people, a stinkin' bowl of walnuts. Whatever. I try. I am neurotic. What can I say? But, hey, how about that sweet walnut picture?

Tomorrow, Quiet Guy and I are traveling to my mother-in-law's for the big feast. Her name is Jane, but for thirty-some years I've been calling her Janie Sue. No, Sue is not her middle name, but it suits her. She is a peach. Anyhow, our going there tomorrow can only mean one thing. Today I've been making mandel bread, of course. Every time any kind of family gathering occurs, I am automatically signed up to bring the mandel bread. No, we are not Jewish. Yes, we appreciate good food.

Some might ask what is the difference between mandel bread and biscotti. Is it mere semantics? Some would argue, yes. However, I have it on good authority that biscotti generally calls for butter, whereas mandel bread uses oil. Potatoes, pa-taught-oes. Here's the point... this stuff is delish. But I digress. Here's the story of my mandel-bread-for every-family-get-together tradition.

Twenty years ago, I lived in St. Louis and had a boss named Bev. Bev was a great boss: smart, funny, logical, kind, and hard-working. Seriously, if every boss could be like Bev, this world would be a happy place. Bev was a Jewish girl from New Jersey. She knew  her way around a kitchen. One holiday season, she brought in some precious little slices of heaven for us all to enjoy: mandel bread. I immediately demanded the recipe. It was an old family recipe from her grandmother. She graciously gave it over the next day. What a sweetie. That Christmas, we traveled to Janie Sue's for the holiday. I brought the mandel bread. I have brought the mandel bread every visit since by popular demand. It is that good. 

Grasshopper, here is the treasured recipe for you to enjoy. I am revealing the secret here and now. That is how much I care about you.

Bev's Grandma's Mandel Bread

3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I use walnuts, and I add an extra 1/3 cup or so.)

Beat eggs well. Add sugar, oil, and vanilla. Beat.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend the nuts into this mixture. Combine it with the wet ingredients. 

Grease and flour baking sheet. (I like to use a heavy-duty extra large sheet.) Spoon mixture in 2 or 3 rows. It will be sticky.

Bake at 350 degrees 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely, at least two hours. Slice diagonally with a good serrated knife into about 1/4 inch slices. Make sure there is air on both sides of slice on the sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for another 30 minutes. Let cool. Enjoy!