I wanted to bake a chocolaty treat for Valentine's Day, so I made some of my favorite Espresso-Chocolate Chip Biscotti. These babies pack a chocolate-coffee punch! If you eat very many, don't be surprised if you get a caffeine buzz. I'll try to post a picture later, but right now the camera is dead and I can't find the charger :(
Here's the recipe:
Espresso-Chocolate Chip Biscotti
(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)
INGREDIENTS:
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup regular or mini semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup powdered instant espresso or 1/2 cup instant coffee (YES, 1/4 CUP!)
2 teaspoons hot water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Cooking spray (or line cookie sheets with a Silpat or Parchment Paper)
INSTRUCTIONS:
The coffee and chocolate make these perfect for dunking in milk or cafe au lait.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Combine espresso and water; stir well with a whisk. Stir in oil, vanilla, and eggs, and add to flour mixture, stirring until well-blended (dough will be dry and crumbly). When the dough gets too difficult to stir, finish mixing with floured hands, kneading it several times, until it holds together. Divide the dough in half. Shape each portion into an 8-inch-long roll (may need to flour your hands to do this). Place the rolls 6 inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and flatten each roll to 1-inch thickness.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet, and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut each roll diagonally into 15 (1/2-inch) slices (Use a good, sharp serrated knife to do this). Place the slices, cut sides down, on the baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the cookies over (be careful, as the chocolate chips can be very hot!), and bake an additional 10 minutes (the cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet, and cool completely on wire rack. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen (serving size: 1 biscotto).
If you like, you can dip the cooled biscotti in some melted chocolate chips, then allow to dry on waxed paper or parchment. Enjoy!
