BISCOTTI CIOCCOLATO
based on a recipe from "Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever"
Makes about 30 cookies.
Ingredients:
7 ounces whole unblanched almonds
3 large eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sifted unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons finely ground white pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and toast the almonds in a shallow pan in the center of the oven, stirring once for 13 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Don't go by time, if you smell them, it may be too late. It is better to judge by color. Remove them from the pan and set aside to cool. Adjust two oven racks to divide oven in thirds and then, lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with tin foil, shiny side up, and set aside.
In the small bowl of your mixer, beat the eggs with the brown sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. In a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients ensuring they are well mixed. Chop the chocolate on a cutting board with a sharp knife. Place the cut chocolate in the bowl of a food processor and add about 1/2 cup of the sifted dry ingredients and process for 1 minute until the chocolate is very fine & powdery. Add the chocolate mixture from the food processor and the reserved egg mixture to the dry ingredients that are in your large mixing bowl. Beat on low speed until well mixed. Then, beat in the nuts. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the biscotti dough out onto it and lightly sift flour over the dough. Work with half the dough at a time. Turn one piece so that it is completely dusted with flour and create an elongated oval about 10 inches long and place it on a baking sheet. If it breaks in transfer, just reshape it on the baking sheet. The shape should be about 3" wide in middle and 1/2-3/4" high. Repeat with the other half of the dough on the second cookie sheet.
Bake both at the same time for 50 minutes and reverse the baking sheets from top to bottom and from front to back once during baking about half-way through the baking process. Remove the sheets from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees. Carefully peel away the foil from the large cookie. With a large serrated bread knife, cut out biscotti into 2/3" - 3/4" diagonal strips. Place each one cut side up back on the baking sheet and return to bake until dry about 15 - 20 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool and store in airtight tins.
based on a recipe from "Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever"
Makes about 30 cookies.
Ingredients:
7 ounces whole unblanched almonds
3 large eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sifted unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons finely ground white pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and toast the almonds in a shallow pan in the center of the oven, stirring once for 13 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Don't go by time, if you smell them, it may be too late. It is better to judge by color. Remove them from the pan and set aside to cool. Adjust two oven racks to divide oven in thirds and then, lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with tin foil, shiny side up, and set aside.
In the small bowl of your mixer, beat the eggs with the brown sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. In a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients ensuring they are well mixed. Chop the chocolate on a cutting board with a sharp knife. Place the cut chocolate in the bowl of a food processor and add about 1/2 cup of the sifted dry ingredients and process for 1 minute until the chocolate is very fine & powdery. Add the chocolate mixture from the food processor and the reserved egg mixture to the dry ingredients that are in your large mixing bowl. Beat on low speed until well mixed. Then, beat in the nuts. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the biscotti dough out onto it and lightly sift flour over the dough. Work with half the dough at a time. Turn one piece so that it is completely dusted with flour and create an elongated oval about 10 inches long and place it on a baking sheet. If it breaks in transfer, just reshape it on the baking sheet. The shape should be about 3" wide in middle and 1/2-3/4" high. Repeat with the other half of the dough on the second cookie sheet.
Bake both at the same time for 50 minutes and reverse the baking sheets from top to bottom and from front to back once during baking about half-way through the baking process. Remove the sheets from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees. Carefully peel away the foil from the large cookie. With a large serrated bread knife, cut out biscotti into 2/3" - 3/4" diagonal strips. Place each one cut side up back on the baking sheet and return to bake until dry about 15 - 20 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool and store in airtight tins.