I love to dunk biscotti in my coffee, and I love to bake them, too. My two favorite biscotti recipes are from Cooking Light magazine - Espresso-Chocolate Chip Biscotti and Cinnamon Biscotti. I've "played with" both recipes a bit, adjusting them to my own taste. Biscotti isn't difficult to make, but I do sometimes have trouble slicing the biscotti loaves, as they can crumble or break. The key is to use a very thin, very sharp, serrated knife (a good bread knife should do). So without further ado:
Espresso-Chocolate Chip Biscotti
(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)
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 powdered Instant Coffee
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)
The coffee and chocolate make these perfect for dunking in milk or cafe aulait.
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: 1biscotto).
If you like, you can dip the cooled biscotti in some melted chocolate chips, then allow to dry on waxed paper or parchment.
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Cinnamon Biscotti
(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)
2 ½ cups Flour
¾ cup Sugar
1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
1 ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Salt
3 large Eggs
2 tablespoons melted Butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla
Cooking Spray
2 teaspoons Sugar
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 325º.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in the center of mixture. Combine eggs, butter, and vanilla; stir with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead lightly 10 times. Divide dough in half. Shape into 2 rolls, each 8 inches long. Place rolls 6 inches apart on baking sheet coated with cooking spray; flatten to a ¾ inch thickness. Combine remaining sugar & cinnamon. Sprinkle over dough and press in very lightly to help it stick.
Bake at 325º for 25-30 minutes. Remove rolls to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Cut rolls diagonally into 24 ½ inch slices. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over and bake for an additional 10 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center, but will harden as they cool). Cool on wire rack.
Makes 24 biscotti
