Chocolate Biscotti

Biscotti – (bee•SKOAT•tee) – “Twice Baked”.  Italian cookies, often containing nuts, biscotti are usually slices from a twice-baked flattened cookie loaf.  They are dry and crunchy and delicious served with a cup of coffee or tea.  This recipe comes from Alice Medrich’s “Chocolate and The Art of Low-Fat Desserts” which is a fabulous book but unfortunately is no longer in print.  If you ever see it for sale anywhere snatch it up.  You won’t be sorry.  The original recipe called for Dutch process cocoa but I actually prefer high fat cocoa.  Also, for chocolate chips, try using bittersweet chips with 60% cacao (a good brand is Ghirardelli).  These chips are slightly larger than regular chips and give the biscotti an intense chocolate flavor.  Cacao are simply the seeds from which cocoa is made.

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Chocolate Biscotti

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa sifted
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup whole almonds toasted
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk flour, cocoa, espresso, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Place half of the flour mixture and half of the chocolate chips in a food processor and process to just combine. Add to remaining flour mixture along with remaining chocolate chips. Transfer to medium bowl.
• Add toasted almonds to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add to flour mixture.
• Whisk whole eggs, egg whites, sugar, vanilla and almond extract in bowl until frothy. Stir in dry ingredients and nuts.
• Spoon batter into three 12-inch by 2-inch strips (for small biscotti) or two 12-inch by 3-inch strips (for large biscotti), at least 2-inches apart. Even the edges of the dough with a spatula.
• Bake 45 minutes. Cool on sheet on wire rack for 10 minutes. Leave oven on.
  
• Using spatula, transfer loaves from parchment to cutting board. With a serrated knife cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange cut side down directly on oven rack and bake another 25 minutes. Cool. (Optionally, arrange cut side down on large cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes per side.)
  
• Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or freeze. Enjoy!