Chocolate Biscotti

The first week of December has passed already and it is time to think seriously about Christmas cookies. To be honest, I need to do more than just THINK about the cookies! Yesterday was the first batch - a chocolate almond biscotti. Because I don't have an extra freezer in which to store cookies, I have to plan my attack based on how well the cookies age and how rapidly they stale.

I suppose aging is a strange concept for modern cookies, but at Christmas I make ethnic traditional ones. Many of the drier cookies meant for dunking are better as they age, as are gingerbreads. So the first cookies I make are biscotti, springele, lebkuchen, and gingerbread.

Because I got 2 chocolate biscotti recipes from my mother-in-law, I am always confused each Christmas as to which recipe I normally use. This card looked a bit more stained, so I made it, but I think I normally make the other recipe. That comment out of the way, there is nothing wrong with this cookie! I just do not recognize the stickiness of the dough when you turn it out to shape into 2 logs for the initial baking.

The easiest way to deal with the extreme stickiness was to spoon it into the log shape and "sort of" pat it together. My hands were a mass of chocolate stickiness in a few seconds!

For my version this year I chose bittersweet chocolate and added 1/2 T more of instant coffee. It makes a very deep, robust mocha taste. Can one use "robust" when describing a cookie?

Chocolate Biscotti

5 oz whole, unblanched almonds

1 ¾ c unsifted flour

1/3 c baking cocoa

1 t baking soda

¼ t salt

1 t vanilla

1 c sugar

2 T instant coffee (crush the instant coffee granules) (I use 2 1/2 T)

4 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (I use bittersweet)

3 large eggs

½ t almond extract* (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Toast almonds in shallow pan for approximately 1o min. Cool. (Watch closely – you don’t want them to brown or burn! This can often be done in a toaster oven)

Divide oven into thirds with racks, adjust temperature to 300 degrees F.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and coffee. Shred/grate chocolate – to make it easier to chop in a processor, add ½ c of dried ingredients.

In large bowl of mixer, beat eggs, vanilla, & almond extract, just to mix. On low speed, add chocolate mixture, remaining sifted dry ingredients, and sugar. Beat to mix; will be stiff.

Remove from mixer. Stir in almonds by hand. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Form into mound. Cut in half. Flour each half; with hands, shape into a log 12” long. Place each diagonally on lined cookie sheet. (In theory, this is what happens. In reality, this is an INCREDIBLY STICKY dough! Spoon it into a log shape and try to pat it together. Then go wash your hands!)

Bake both sheets at a time for 50 min, reversing sheets top to bottom & front to back once during baking.

Remove from oven, let cool 10 min. Transfer to cutting board. With serrated bread knife, carefully cut strips on sharp diagonal angle @ ½” wide. (I make mine on the thin side). Cookies are very fragile at this point.

Carefully place on cut side (flat) on cookie sheets and bake again at 300 degreees F for about 40 min, turning them upside down after 15-20 min, until dry and crisp.

Turn off heat, open oven door & let them cool in oven.

Store in airtight containers.