Cioccolato Biscotti

Cioccolato Biscotti

I’m of Sicilian descent and the Pilot loves chocolate. So, combining the two, I give you for your dining pleasure, a wonderfully rich delicious chocolate biscotti. Enjoy with a latte.

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar/Splenda/Stevia
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup nuts of your choice. I used pistachios for this one.
4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped in small pieces
3 large eggs
2 tbls. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract (especially if you’ve used almonds.)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. I used the dark powder for this.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with either Silpat or parchment paper. Sprinkle with 2 tbls. of sugar and set aside.

In a large bowl measure the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix together. Stir in the nuts and chocolate, getting the chocolate well coated with the flour.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, vanilla and cocoa. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir together until combined. This dough will be very stiff and you will ultimately need to mix it with your hands.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a log that measures 12″x2 1/2″. The dough rolls out easily since the heat of your hands helps it along. Put each log on the baking sheet and sprinkle the top with 1 tsp. sugar for each log.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until risen and firm. Let the logs cool for 30 minutes before slicing. If they’re not cool, they will crumble when you slice through them.

Reduce the oven temp to 300 degrees. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1/2″ slices.

Arrange the slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake until the biscotti is dry. This is why it’s called biscotti….because it’s twice baked!

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once they’re cooled, you can dress them up anyway you want or you can leave them just as they are in their naked state of decadence. Look at those chocolate chunks glistening in the photo. They’re calling your name.