1. In small custard cup, mix together 2 tablespoons super red food gel with 1 tablespoons light cocoa powder until smooth paste.  Allow to sit 5 minutes to enhance the red gel.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 10 x 15 ” baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, vanilla and buttermilk. Beat on medium speed to blend, add half of the cocoa/red gel paste, continue to whip together. Scrape down sides and bottom of mixing bowl. Add remaining cocoa/red paste, beat to blend. At this point check to color to see if you like the brightness, if you want it brighter add another teaspoon of red food gel.
4. In separate mixing bowl add flour, baking powder and salt, add to red batter  beat to bring dough together. Dough should cling to the beater. If too wet, add 1/4 cup additional flour until dough clings to the beater. Fold in chocolate chips and toasted pecans if desired.
5. Put on gloves before rolling out red dough. On floured work surface pat dough into two 12″ logs. Flatten each log on the top about 2-1/2 ” wide x 1″ thickness.
6. Place each log on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
7. With chef’s knife cut logs into 1″ thick slices at a 45 degree angle. Place these slices back on baking sheet, cut side down, return to oven and bake 10 minutes. Repeat with baking the other side of biscotti additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool 30 minutes or longer before dipping in dark chocolate.

Garnish: Melt 1 cup dark chocolate Ghirardelli melting wafers in microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals, stirring to melt repeat process if necessary to melt wafers.  Dip bottom or top side of slices into dark chocolate. Sprinkle with jimmies or sprinkles of choice while chocolate is wet.  Or…. Allow chocolate to harden then add string of hearts.

Making string of hearts design on biscotti- Melt 1/2 cup white chocolate Ghirardelli wafers in microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals until smooth.  Place chocolate in piping bag fitted with tip # 3, have a toothpick handy.

Pipe dots of white chocolate onto top of harden dark chocolate, repeat with string of dots the length of slice or as desired.  With toothpick, start at the top of the first dot, drag the pick down the center of each dot creating a heart shape. You do not have to lift the toothpick for each dot unless you want individual hearts. If you want a string of hearts pull pick continuous through dots.