Brownie Biscotti

A friend recently gave me this recipe, and my first thought was "this seems like the equivalent of opening a jar of Ragu, pouring it over pasta and calling it a spaghetti dinner." But I tried them, and I was surprised. While not exactly from scratch, they are fast and taste quite good.

1 pkg brownie mix (9x13 size)
3/4 cup ground almonds (grind them in your coffee grinder)
1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg and 3 egg whites
1 tsp almond extract
3 squares white chocolate (optional)
sliced almonds (optional)

1. Mix dry ingredients
2. Beat egg, egg whites and almond extract in a separate bowl
3. Mix wet and dry; it will be very sticky
4. Grease a cookie sheet and your hands
5. Shape the batter into 3 loaves, each one approximately 3-1/2 " by 7" by 3/4"
6. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes
7. Let cool 5 minutes. Then, using a serrated knife, carefully cut into 3/4"strips
8. Lay each strip on its side and rebake for 12-14 minutes
9. Cool on wire rack
10. Melt chocolate and drizzle on top, if desired
11. Drop almond slices on melted chocolate

Makes 2-1/2 dozen. These freeze really well.