Cookie Recipe: Easy Chocolate Biscotti For Beginners & Baking With A Buddy

Chocolate Biscotti: It's Easier To Make Than You Think

I used to be intimidated by biscotti. It always looked so elegant and so unavailable to the humble home baker. How did each piece come out looking that perfect? The entire process of making biscotti was mystifying to me. But when I finally worked up the courage to make some, I discovered the most wonderful thing: there is no mystery to biscotti. It is a snap to make, even on your first try. All it takes is a little bit of time and the right recipe.

Traditional Italian biscotti is not my kind of cookie. It does not contain butter, it is flavored with anise, and it is break-your-teeth hard because it is meant to be dunked in coffee before biting into it. My recipe, on the other hand, turns tradition on its ear. It calls for butter, produces a cookie with a nice crunch that stands up to dunking but tastes fine on its own, and is, well, chocolate. I love it.

This dough is extremely easy to work with because it bypasses the one aspect of biscotti making that can cause difficulty, and that is all of the "stuff" that is often mixed in: nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chunks, and so forth. Those tasty (and attractive looking) add-ins make it harder to shape the logs, and even harder to cut the biscotti into nice, even, perfect looking slices. You can, of course, stir in whatever extras you like. Just remember that I warned you. Another thing that makes this recipe an excellent choice for beginners is the fact that the dough is dark because of the chocolate, so no one will be able to tell if you overbaked your biscotti or if all of the pieces aren't the same lovely shade of golden brown.

The only other thing you need to know about biscotti is that it is, by definition, a twice baked cookie, so it does take some time from start to finish. First you form the dough into "logs" and bake them.

After the baked logs have cooled for a bit, you slice them up.



Then you bake the slices, turning them over halfway through the baking time.



Yes, this part is a bit of a hassle, but it's really not too bad. I know that some people prefer to stand the pieces up so that they don't have to turn them, but if I tried that, I am sure they would all collapse like one of those giant domino things while I was moving the baking sheet from the counter to the oven (that is if I could even get them to stand up in the first place.) For me, it is easier to simply flip the slices over.

Because it looks so perfect, and because it stays fresh for many days, homemade biscotti makes for a very nice gift. Package it in little cellophane bags tied with a colorful ribbon, and people will think you spent a fortune on them at a fancy bakery. Revealing the truth is, of course, totally up to you. I highly recommend the cello bags available by mail from Continental Packaging Company. Don't miss their "Cello Bag Tutorial" which explains why their 'real' cello bags are superior to so many others out there. They have dozens of sizes of bags, prices are very fair, orders are shipped quickly, and the people who work there are extremely nice.

Okay, perhaps you are still not convinced that this biscotti is as easy and tasty as I have made it out to be. Skepticism can be good. But I have a little something in my Inbox that I think should do the trick. (That is if you can stop laughing long enough to mix up the dough.) Last night my pal Clare wangled the recipe out of me by suggesting that she should try making it before I put up my post, and then we could both write about it. Yep, kind of like our first Transcontinental Bake-a-thon back in September (except that I have made this before).

So while I have been sitting here typing this up tonight, Clare has been spending her morning (big time difference between Missouri and Sydney) putting my recipe to the test Down Under. She had a bit of a crisis in the beginning, but she wasn't about to let that stop her. So how did it go? I think I will just let you read her actual emails yourself.

Email #1: Ok all set to get biscotti with it :)
Email#2: I bought Van Houten cocoa. That should be alright? It smells good, and I know from previous experience it makes the best hot chocolates! PLUS I bought it from an Indonesian grocery store... and it was cheap! (ish) cheaper anyway lol
Email #3: And I have 85% lindt heheheheheh DEFINITELY chocolate lovers :)
Email #4: BUGGER! Out of sugar, can I use brown sugar? @#$%! @#$%!
[My reply to this was: How can you be out of sugar? Do you have powdered sugar?]
Email #5: By lightened do you mean til ribbons form?
[I replied that I didn't think so and asked what happened with the sugar crisis.]

Email #6: I don't know I SWEAR I bought some last time I went shopping!! I am attempting dark brown, perhaps it will be good... SO SORRY!
Email #7: Ok am beating by hand. Will add extra half cup of powdered sugar. That is just what it needed :) Biscotti emergency avoided!
Email #8: hehehe yep! Ok we have sucess captain biscotti! Two perfectly shaped incredibly tasty loaves made from the easiest to work with dough yet!
Email #9: They are easy to make!
The dough was very tasty, and SO EASY TO WORK WITH!
Email #10: BLOODY HELL they smell good!
Email #11: They are cooling and I could eat them now I swear! OMG!
Email #12: Still cooling. . .
Email #13: They get better tomorrow????!!!! That can't possibly be true!!!

Now if that doesn't convince you to turn on the oven, I don't know what will. And remember: if you can't bake with a faraway foodie friend, you can always e-bake with them. You never have to be alone in the kitchen again. And because of the magic of cyberspace, all you have to do is click right here to zip down to Australia and read Clare's version of our biscotti baking adventure (which even includes her incredible, patented hot cocoa recipe).

Clare has also kindly translated my recipe into metric for those of you who measure the more civilized way. I hope you have as much fun making this as we did. And they really do taste even better the next day. As always, I urge you to use organic ingredients whenever possible. Enjoy.

Farmgirl Susan's Biscotti For Chocolate Lovers
Makes About 36 Pieces

2/3 cup (4 ounces) semisweet or dark chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 ounces) butter
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
1 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg white for glaze

Make it a Mochaccino!
Adding 1 Tablespoon of instant espresso powder (I use Medaglia D'Oro brand) in with the dry ingredients does amazing things to this biscotti.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and chocolate together (I put them in a Pyrex measuring cup and microwave them) and set aside.

2. Beat the eggs and sugar until lightened (I use an electric hand mixer and beat them for about two minutes.)

3. Add vanilla and chocolate mixture.

4. Mix in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt just until combined. You should have a soft, but not sticky, dough. Add the extra 1/4 cup of flour if dough is too sticky.

5. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, form each half into a log that is 3-1/2 inches by 9 inches. Place logs on a large baking sheet and brush with egg white if desired. Bake for 25 minutes or until tops are set.

6. Reduce oven to 275 degrees. Let logs cool as long as you can (the cooler they are, the easier to cut), and then slice into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully turn slices over, and bake for another 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container or freeze.

Still hungry?
You'll find all of my Less Fuss, More Flavor sweet and savory recipes in the sidebar of the Farmgirl Fare homepage.

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