Biscotti

Shannon bought me an espresso maker for Christmas, (Yes, I realize that it is now February), and it seemed only appropriate to repost my beloved biscotti recipe because of this. Biscotti are wonderful because they make a perfect little accompaniment to a nice French Press Coffee or espresso, they’re easy to make and they keep for months. Unless, of course, they are eaten eight at a time as a meal replacement, which is more akin to my currently consumption rate.

I’ve actually only eaten biscotti I enjoyed, outside of my own home, on two occasions. I haven’t the faintest idea why, but typically coffee shop biscotti tends to have a very undesirable dissolving quality. Eating biscotti should be like reconstituting a dried biscuit, not like dissolving soda crackers in soup. It should soften, not fall apart. It is lucky for me that my first time actually happened to be one of those occasions or I would likely have abandoned it by now.

The coffee shop I used to go to back in Alberta happened to have a slightly under baked batch frozen to replenish their stock. They ran out one day when I decided to try it out, and I ended up with one of these instead. I know it’s not “proper” or traditional in the slightest, but to me, this is what I strive for biscotti to be like now. The inside should be firm but have a slight chew and the entire batch should be frozen so that when you dunk it in your espresso the outside yields in warmth but the inner portion is like a slightly frozen nougat. The combination of the warm mocha flavor and cold chocolate center is top shelf enjoyment. If a restaurant offered something like a frozen churro biscotti to be dunked in hot chocolate after a meal, I might actually order dessert once in a while.

The second success was, of all places, in a Second Cup. It was a chocolate version with hazelnuts that didn’t have an overwhelming taste of vanilla (something Second Cup seems to strive for, for some reason) and without the sickeningly sweet coat of icing that seems to be so prominent in coffee shop biscotti. I’ve since adapted hazelnuts in to my recipe. I bet the Italians never thought chocolate and hazelnuts could be such a wonderful pair ;)

As my pastry chef would be happy to tell you, what we typically call biscotti is a very Americanized invention. Cantucci di Prato was the original biscotti – flavored with almond, served with vin santo, and measuring no longer than a chubby finger. Since I don’t consume a lot (or really any) dessert wine, and tend to prefer coffee with chocolate than almond, I like my recipe better. I have since reduced my portions to the chubby finger size than the girthy forearms in the cookie jars at bistros though. Someone must be proud.

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, skins removed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
4. Add eggs one by one to the butter and sugar, beating until well combined.
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir to form a stiff dough. Mix in the hazelnuts.
6. Form dough in to slightly flattened logs about 12″ by 3″ on a large non-stick or greased baking sheet.
7. Bake until slightly firm (about 25 minutes) then cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees.
8. Cut biscotti diagonally into 1″ thick slices and arrange, cut side down, back on the baking sheet.
9. Return to the oven and bake until dry, about 15-20 minutes.
10. Cool on a wire rack and then freeze in air tight bags or top off your cookie jar.