Dorie Greenspan had the very clever idea to caramelize Rice Krispies in her book Chez Moi. She used them to make Crispy Topped Brown Sugar Bars. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to use them for, I just became obsessed with caramelizing Rice Krispies. Unfortunately I didn’t have any Rice Krispies in my pantry, but I found a box of Special K cereal, so I figured, close enough.

Caramelizing the Special K was simple. Boil sugar and water until it is a light amber colour. Mix in the cereal, stir to coat and continue cooking until the Special K becomes dark golden brown. Transfer to a baking sheet to cool.

As I snacked on the Special K (very addictive), I remembered an old recipe from my childhood that incorporated Special K cereal. It inspired me to create these Cinnamon Almond Caramelized Crunch Biscotti.

Biscotti, literally translated from Latin means “twice baked.” The dough is first formed into a log and baked until just starting to firm up. Once the dough cools, it is sliced, on a slight diagonal and baked for a second time, until crisp. Traditional Italian biscotti dough is made without butter, but I add butter to my dough. The biscotti are crunchy but not hard and dense.

Here’s a pro tip that will change your biscotti making game. Most recipes instruct you to turn the biscotti halfway through the baking process so that they bake evenly and get crisp on both sides. To skip flipping the biscotti, position a wire cooling rack on your baking sheet. Then arrange the slices on top of the cooling rack. This way, the heat of the oven can circulate around the biscotti and there is no need to flip the slices. Give the biscotti a generous sifting of cinnamon sugar before they go back into the oven for their second bake.

The biscotti will keep well in an airtight container for a few weeks, or for them into the freezer for longer storage.