Something magical happens when you bite into biscotti. Instantly you can imagine yourself sitting at an Italian bistro sipping espresso and dunking that crisp, twice-baked cookie.

Fortunately, you don't have to be Italian or travel to Italy

to study under a pastry chef

to find out how to make great biscotti. You can find out right here in Butler.

Its appearance and taste would have you believe that making biscotti is difficult to master. Not so, says Melissa Gaguzis, biscotti instructor at the Butler County Community College. While she's not an Italian pastry chef, she does have a lot of biscotti baking experience.

Gaguzis, who has been mastering the kitchen since she was 6, said, "I've always liked biscotti, so I took a class and started making it."

And making it, and making it and making it. Without thinking, she can list 14 flavors of biscotti she has made. (Give her some more time and she'll come up with a few she's forgotten.) She said her friends always leave her home with a package of biscotti.

Her husband and neighbors gets the ends, not suitable for packaging. (No, they don't complain. The ends are as good as the rest of the batch. They just don't look as pretty.)"My neighbor loves me. I'm always taking ends over to him and trying out new varieties on him," Gaguzis said.She even ships biscotti to Florida to be sold in an ice cream shop.So from taking a class on biscotti, and adding a couple years of biscotti experience, Gaguzis is now teaching a biscotti class at BC3 on Saturday."It's really easy to make, that's why I wanted to teach the class," she said. Starting with ingredients similar to most cookie recipes, Gaguzis said if you can make cookies, you can make biscotti."It's the basics - butter, sugar, eggs, flavoring and flour," Gaguzis said.While it can be easy to make, sometimes it helps to see the process along the way, which is the other reason she decided to teach."Mine are not the traditional style, the ones that have to soak in your coffee for five hours before you can bite into it," she quipped.Instead, her recipe yields a cookie that is light in texture and crisp, but won't disturb the person next to you when you bite into it; unless, of course, you don't share.

The following recipes and tips are from Gaguzis' biscotti-making experience. During class she will share other biscotti recipes and even more tips.Her recipe gives some ideas for flavoring, but she said bakers should use their own imagination."It's whatever you like," she said, "There's no right or wrong to what you put in them. I create new ones to make different varieties. I use the same basic recipe and add fruit and nuts."Any dried fruit or nut will work in this recipe. If you want to use chocolate chips, Gaguzis suggests using the mini variety.Some of her creations include lemon craisin, vanilla walnut, pumpkin and ginger flavors for the holidays. She dips some in white chocolate and sprinkles with cinnamon and nutmeg to dress the cookie up a bit for the special occasion.

Gaguzis is always on the lookout for inspiration for new flavors. It can come from anywhere. One creation involves putting all the ingredients in a chunky candy bar into one of her biscotti. A cake her grandmother used to make inspired another creation - cherry vanilla butternut."I use a lot of flavoring in mine. I don't want to have to guess what flavor I taste."Dipping the biscotti in chocolate before storing adds flavor and makes a nice presentation."When dipping, just dip the curve, or drizzle the chocolate. If you dip the whole thing, it makes it soggy," she said.Gaguzis also suggested using a good-quality chocolate for dipping. Let the chocolate harden before storing."I like to use cellophane for gifts and selling," Melissa said.You can find cellophane bags in craft or cake supply stores. Gaguzis mixes different varieties of her biscotti in one cellophane package and ties it with ribbon or raffia for a pretty presentation.To store biscotti, she advises placing it in a tin in a cool location. In theory, biscotti can last a long time in storage, but she says it's doubtful it will. (The saying "caught with a hand in the cookie jar" didn't come about for no reason at all.)If you'd like to feel transported to Italy, try out the biscotti recipe below. If you would like some more tips and ideas, sign up for the class at BC3 to study under this biscotti instructor. In class, students will see how Gaguzis makes biscotti and students get to take samples of their work home with them.For biscotti information e-mail Gaguzis at melissabiscotti@yahoo.com.

1 cup margarine or butter1½ cups sugar4 eggs2 teaspoons flavoring (see below)4 cups flour3 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon salt1½ cups roughly chopped nuts, dried fruits, (optional)Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Beat margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.Add flavoring to the batter. Mix in combined dry ingredients. Fold nuts into batter, if using.Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.On a lightly floured tray, shape dough into 2 to 3 logs. Use additional flour sparingly. Place logs on greased and floured baking sheets (Alternatively, use parchment-lined baking sheets). Using the palm of your hand, slightly flatten the logs.Bake 25 to 28 minutes, until lightly brown. Place logs on a cutting board and cool for at least 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut each log into slices about ¾ inches thick. Place slices upright on a baking sheet about ½ inch apart.Bake 15 to 18 minutes longer or until slightly dry. Cool completely on wire racks. Store biscotti in tins.Makes two dozen.Vanilla nut - 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1½ cup chopped nutsTraditional anise -cup anise seed (rub seed between your palms to release flavor) or use liquid anise, to tasteLemon - 2 teaspoons lemon extract and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest