Chocolate Biscotti

I brought these treats to Emily’s Holiday Open House Sunday night.  They were delicious!  Joelen, from Joelen’s Culinary Adventures, was also at the party and said they tasted like a rich brownie…except crunchy!  It was also a great opportunity for me to use my Roasted Cacao Nibs that TCHO sent to me for a tasting.

If you haven’t tried cacao nibs, I suggest you look into them and give them a shot.  You can get pretty creative with them, using them in both sweet and savory dishes.  In fact, when TCHO sent me the nibs, they included a recipe as an idea to use them…green beans!  I never would have thought to use them that way!

Here’s the recipe for the Chocolate Biscotti.  Do you know that biscotti means “twice baked”?  It can be a tiny bit time-consuming since it is put into the oven twice… but honestly, I think they are SO easy to make!  The original recipe says it serves six (probably a total of 12 biscotti), but I divided the dough differently and was able to get around 24 shorter biscotti.  The recipe below is my adaptation.

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Chocolate Biscotti

A twice-baked cookie that tastes like a crunchy brownie, perfect for gifting or dipping in your coffee.

Ingredients

• 1 stick (4 ounces) butter
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup cacao nibs (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the eggs. On low speed, mix in the flour, cocoa powder, cacao nibs, baking powder and salt. Transfer the cookie dough to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and divide into two equal parts. Form each part into a 1-by-4-by-5-inch log (approximate measurement). Bake for 20 minutes; let cool for 20 minutes. Leave the oven on.
2. On a work surface, using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 12 slices each. Return the slices to the baking sheet, standing up, and bake until firm, about 15 minutes. Let the biscotti cool completely on the pan. Serve with your favorite hot cocoa or coffee.
3. Source: Adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray, December/January 2009