Baking Biscotti

It’s Sunday. I’m posting a recipe. Lately I have been playing with biscotti. There is nothing exotic about making your own biscotti. It’s easy, fun and so much cheaper than getting them at the store. You can make them fancy, by dipping them or painting them half way up in chocolate, and use them for guests or give them as gifts. You can leave them plain and enjoy them with your coffee or tea in the morning. I like them for a mid-afternoon snack. Add chocolate chips for desert biscotti or add dried fruits for a less sweet version. I got this recipe from Emeril and substituted dried cranberries and chopped pecans for his dried cherries and almonds because that’s what I had on hand. How about painting these chocolate biscotti with white chocolate and adding white chocolate chips for extra wow? I’ve tried lots of biscotti recipes and this one is really good. Give baking your own biscotti a try!

Dried Cherry and Chocolate Biscotti
Recipe copyright Emeril Lagasse, 1999

2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unblanched whole almonds
1 cup dried cherries
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in the almonds and cherries.

In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Mix well. Lightly dust the work surface with cocoa powder. Turn the dough onto the surface and knead the dough a couple of times. Shape the dough into a log, about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. Place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Using a serrated knife, slice the bread diagonally into 1/4-inch slices. Place the slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for an additional 12 to 14 minutes or until crispy.

Remove from the oven and cool completely a second time on a wire rack. Dip half of each biscotti in the melted chocolate and place on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate sets.

Notes from me –

Make sure you let the bread cool completely before you slice it or it will tear and crumble. Turn the sliced biscotti over halfway through the second cooking time. I use a pastry brush and “paint” the chocolate on the biscotti. I think it’s a lot easier than dipping it. This dough is pretty sticky so I always dust my hands with cocoa powder before I begin to work with the dough. I got this recipe from the Food Network website and have corrected the errors in the recipe before posting it here. I don’t know what their system of recipe proofing is over there but there are always mistakes in their recipes.

Happy baking!