I am so excited to share this recipe with you all! It is so yummy, and so pretty and festive!

I invited a friend over for coffee and of course if you're going to have a friend over for coffee then biscotti is almost a necessity! I couldn't decide what kind to make and I was so ready for something new. And then out of nowhere came this idea for sprinkle filled biscotti. It has a distinctive, yet delicate flavor to it that will perfectly compliment any hot drink or you can eat it by itself.

I think it turned out even prettier than I had imagined! 

So now, without further ado, here is what you will need to get started:

Cream the butter and the sugar

Add the eggs, one at a time.

Beat in the flavorings

Coming the flour, baking powder,salt and cake mix.

Slowly add it to the butter mixture.

Mix in well and then add the sprinkles. {The best part!}

Mix them in until they're just combined.
Line a cookie sheet with greased parchment paper. Divide the dough in half and create two logs and then flatten them to about an inch high.

Bake at 300* for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

While it's baking you can whip together the glaze.

Glaze
2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 tsp. Coconut Flavor
1/4 cup Water
Dash of Salt

Beat all together until smooth. Yum!

When the biscotti is finished baking let it cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.

Using a spatula, gently transfer a biscotti loaf onto a cutting board and cut into pieces about 1/2 inch wide.

Put the pieces back onto the cookie sheet, cut edge down.

Turn the oven up to 325* and put the biscotti back in for 10 minutes. Turn the pieces over and put it back in for another 10 minutes. It should be  nice golden brown on both sides.

Let the biscotti cool on a wire rack. It doesn't need to be completely cool before you put the glaze on.

Drizzle the glaze generously over the cookies and put the sprinkles on right away. Let the glaze set and they're ready to enjoy! Store in an air-tight container.

This batch didn't last very long!

And now for the give-away part!
Share this post and leave a comment, saying who you would share your coffee break with, either on this page or my facebook page and I will enter your name in a drawing for a package of Celeration Biscotti and a bag of genuine Honduran Coffee Beans grown by our friends in Honduras. :)
The drawing will be on Wednesday, August 5th. Stay tuned! :)

Who are you going to share it with?

I think I'm going to keep some in the freezer all the time now, so we have it for any cause to celebrate that may arise!

• It's Time Consuming

When I want something to keep my kids occupied I actually burn a lot more time looking it up, getting stuff together and getting them interested in it than if I had just tried to work around or with my kids.

• It Can Be Expensive

A lot of the projects actually take a fair amount of money to complete! I am just not a fan of that, at all. Since when does entertaining our kids have to have it's own budget category?

• It's Selfish

If I give my kids a project to do it allows me to detach myself from them and only connect when I want to. Instead of always being ready to take advantage of a teachable moment it can make me try to force them to learn whether they're ready to or not. I want to learn to be focused on my kids all day, not just when I have "time". It is also so easy to fall in the trap of needing them to do a special project perfectly and so take the fun right out of it. Selfish, selfish, selfish. 

• It's not Practical

Pinterest kid's rooms - I don't believe in them very much anymore. There's a few good ideas, but a lot of them are actually pretty unrealistic in real life. At least in our family's life. If you can pull it off and keep them looking awesome then I think that's great! I just can't hold myself to that standard anymore.

• It's Exhausting

Trying to always keep up with the latest thing, find new things every day, keep it organized and teach a little person how to do it can just be exhausting! For me and them. Teaching them a real life skill is so much more valuable than having 3 different kinds of sensory play dough and puffy side walk paint. Now don't get me wrong, play dough and side walk paint are great, but helping Mom bake bread and wash dishes could be a lot more fun, connecting and useful, in all reality. Or take out the reality and just make memories splashing in the puddles. :)

• The Impossible Standard

This one is related with the one above. It is so easy to start comparing myself with other Mom's. And not just with one other Mom - it's like picking the best from 100 different people and thinking I need to match each one. That's impossible! It's exhausting! And the Bible says "...and they, comparing themselves among themselves are not wise." Isn't that the truth? I am so tired of trying to live up to 100 different standards of perfect!

• This is Not God's Measuring Stick
  

The good news is - God is not comparing us to other parents! He created us to be special, to raise our kids in our own unique way! Be the Mom God created and called you to be. Sure, I can learn from others, but I don't have to be like others. God is not measuring my success by my Pinterest board. :)

So, when I think my toddler needs their imagination stretched and their mind developed I want to take them outside with me when I hang up the laundry. We can talk about the color of the grass, the sky, the car driving by, the towels on the line. We can count the clothespins and feel the textures of the different fabrics. 

This is kind of a new thought process for me, because I set out to be an awesome, perfect Mom which meant keeping up with the trendiest projects. But I want to go back to the old fashioned way. Nothing can ever substitute my tuned in time and attention to my kids. Now please excuse me while I go delete some unnecessary pins. ;) 

{And don't get me wrong, I love Pinterest and think it's a great resource for a lot of things! Just not as much for raising my kids as decorating or organizing my house! In my opinion, anyway.}

What are some ways you are enjoying normal, every day life with your kids?