Biscotti: it’s another one you can chalk up to the I’ve Never Had It So I Will Make It category. And so I did. After eying the recipe as a possibility for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap I ended up putting the biscotti off. Instead, I made a double batch. I gave some to a friend. I took some into work for my coworkers. Of course, we kept a small amount for ourselves, too. Of course!
I used Take A Megabite‘s Triple Chocolate Biscotti recipe and altered it a bit. One of the things I loved about this specific recipe is the photos of the formation process. From round cylinders to flat biscotti logs.
While the original recipe is triple chocolate I only did chocolate. Or would it be single chocolate? I only used the unsweetened cocoa powder and while it might not have the whiz bang of triple chocolate, it made for a lovely, simple and classic flavor. Again, I’ve never had biscotti before but I’m starting to think they’re just brownies that stayed in the oven too long.
A couple things I noticed. My dough was very wet and sticky for the first two-thirds of the cookies I made. For the final third, it had been sitting on my counter top long enough that it had dried out some. While I didn’t notice any difference in taste, there was a clear visual difference. The baked dough that was wetter had cracked more and had the expected “biscotti” look. The baked dough that had rested a bit had far fewer cracks and a smooth finish.
Chocolate Biscotti
(Adapted from Take A Megabite‘s Triple Chocolate Biscotti)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 t baking soda
- 1/2 t baking powder
- 1 t salt
- 3/4 stick (6 T) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 t pure vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Beat the butter and sugar together on until pale.
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough onto a work surface and divide the dough into four equal pieces. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough into 6-inch long logs. Flatten logs with the palm of your hand, so that they are 1/2 to 1 inch high, about 2-3 inches wide, then carefully lift the logs onto the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until just firm. The logs will spread and crack and that is ok. Remove baking sheet from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
- Working with one log at a time, using a long serrated kinfe, cut each log into slices between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick. Stand the slices up on their sides on the baking sheet, so that the inside is facing up, and bake the cookies again for just 10 minutes.
- Transfer biscotti to a rack to cool.
