dark chocolate biscotti
This semester I took a class called "California Foods" and for our midterm instead of a test we had a potluck, because why not. The only rules for the potluck was to bring a dish that was culturally significant to us and say how its been influenced by living in California. My first thought was to make biscotti since my family is Italian, but also because its an after dinner cookie my family eats with wine. The wine country, california, and biscotti seemed like the perfect way to sum up my heritage in a dish. So that leads me to this chocolate biscotti recipe. Surprisingly, I don't make biscotti often, I've only made them once before. While the cookies may look fancy and complicated, they are pretty basic as any cookie recipe goes. The only tricky part is forming the dough into logs and cutting. Biscotti are also a very versatile cookie, so if you want to add chopped walnuts or orange zest to the dough go right ahead! These biscotti have just the right amount of chocolate and crunch to them. Enjoy them with coffee in the morning, or dip them in wine like my family does :)
What you need: Makes 30 biscotti
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + plus 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate bar (65% or higher) chopped*
*feel free to add chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips instead
What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl and mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips and stir on low speed until just combined.
5. Dust a work surface with flour. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sticky dough out onto the work surface and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Using your hands, shape the dough into a rough ball (if it's still too sticky, dust with a bit more flour) and cut in half. Form the dough pieces into two short logs by rolling back and forth. Place the logs onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into longer logs about 3/4-inch high and 2 inches wide. Allow enough space for the logs to spread a few inches while they bake.
6. Bake for about 35 minutes, until firm to the touch.
7. Let the biscotti logs cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, or until just cool enough to touch (if you wait any longer, the biscotti will be difficult to cut); then, using a sharp knife, slice the logs on the diagonal into 3/4-inch slices. They will crumble just a bit; don't worry about it. Turn the biscotti on their sides (so that the cut sides are down) and place back in the oven for 10 minutes to dry and crisp up. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with coffee, tea or warm milk.
Recipe from: Once Upon a Chef
