I made these biscotti for our Frederick Food Photography club meeting this past weekend. We decided to take turns making the food to bring to photograph (and to eat!), and last week I volunteered.
unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to decorate the tops like you see in these photos before the meeting. I left the slivered almonds and the remaining chocolate chips that I was going to use on the counter. And when Chris and I returned home from dinner, there were almonds scattered alllllll over the floor, 2 ripped up packages and no chocolate chips.
And one very, very bad and guilty dog. I really should have learned my lesson by now. See this post (http://beckycooksblog.com/homemade-peanut-butter-dog-treats/) for a list of other things my dogs have eaten off the counters.
Anyhow, I decided that I would decorate the tops as I had originally planned, so I got more chocolate chips, and more almonds and finished off the biscotti after the Photo Club meeting. I apologize to the other members, as I think they look much nicer when fully decorated! You can blame my dogs.
Biscotti means “twice-baked,” which is exactly what these little cookies are. You bake the dough once in a log shape, then take it out, cut the logs into thin strips, and then bake them again. This technique results in a crunchy cookie or biscuit that is perfect for dipping into a big, hot cup of coffee.
They are packed with chocolately flavor from the cocoa powder and chocolate chips, and scented with almond extract and crunchy almonds. Dip the tops in melted chocolate and even more slivered almonds for a delicious (and pretty!) finale.
Trust me, I made sure to keep the finished product AWAY from the dogs!
Chocolate Almond Biscotti
adapted from this recipe by Mario Batali
about 40 biscotti
Ingredients
For Biscotti:
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp almond extract
- 3/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
For Decoration:
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, melted
- 2/3 cup slivered almonds
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and almond extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Your dough will be sticky when everything is incorporated.
- Add slivered almonds and chocolate chips and stir until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Shape each portion into a log that is about 10 inches long.
- Place the logs of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and flatten each one out until it is about 2-3 inches wide, and about 1/2 inch thick. Leave about and 1 inch between each log.
- Bake the dough for 20 minutes.
- Remove the biscotti from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
- Remove each loaf from the pan, and slice into 1/2 inch pieces on a slight diagonal.
- Reduce the oven heat to 300 degrees.
- Return the biscotti to the pan, and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until they are crisp.
- Allow the biscotti to cool completely before decorating.
- To decorate, dip the top of the biscotti into melted chocolate, and coat with slivered almonds. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to allow chocolate to set.
