Triple Chocolate Biscotti

Thursday night marks the end of a huge part of my life. We say goodbye to Harry Potter friends. Yeah I am one of them. One of those people who lines up for the book and movie releases, who reads the book in twenty four hours, who mutters "avada kedavra" at those who interrupt her and I'm one of those who cries uncontrollably at the title of an article that said "Farewell Harry."

It is going to be a rough night. I had to distract myself this week by baking. Lots of it. Between work and baking I haven't had much time to dwell on the fact that I will be in a deep dark depression come the end of the week. Cheers to that. These were the first of many distractions. Even when it comes to biscotti, I like them to be slightly chewy. These are crisp and yet I liked them. They taste like oreos minus the filling.. maybe I smear then with some of the oreo filling? Must go try.

Triple Chocolate Biscotti
Adapted from Alice Medrich

1/3 cup (2 ounces) coarsely chopped semisweet of bittersweet chocolate
2 cups flour
1/3 cup (1 ounce) Dutch-processed cocoa powder*
2 tsp baking powder *
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp instant coffee powder
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup milk chocolate, coarsely chopped or chips

Preheat oven to 300º. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Line sheets with parchment. In a food processor, combine the chocolate with four, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and coffee. Pulse until the chocolate is reduced to the size of coarse bread crumbs. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl whisk the eggs and egg whites with sugar and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture and the chocolate. The batter will be thick and sticky. Scrape the batter onto the lined or greased pan in 2 skinny strips 16 to 17 inches long and at least 2 1/2 inches apart. Use a spatula to even up the strips. Put the pan on the lower rack and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the loaves are firm but springy to the touch. Rotate the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking Set the pan on a rack to cool for at least 15 minutes. Leave the oven on. Transfer the loaves carefully to a cutting board. If you used parchment slide a metal spatula under each loaf to detach and remove the liners. Using a sharp serrated knife, ct the loaves on a diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Stand the slices on unlined baking sheets at least 1/2 inch apart. Toast them for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time. Cool the biscotti completely before stacking or storing. May be kept in an airtight container for several weeks. Makes about 50 small biscotti.

* You can use natural cocoa powder but you must then omit the baking powder and use 1/2 tsp of baking soda instead.  


P.S. My blog wasn't functioning. This was due for July the 12th. So we are on schedule!

Lemon Poppyseed Biscotti

Have I posted a biscotti recipe before? Probably not. In fact, I have only made it twice before. One was really dry and tasteless but the next things got better. And this one? Even better. It has a great lemon taste and texture from the poppyseeds. They are easy to pound back. This is definitely my go-to for biscotti. But I think I need a chocolate fix right now so that is next on the my to-do list. Like I must do that now. 

Lemon Poppyseed Biscotti
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 egg
1 egg white
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp poppyseeds
Raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350º and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly butter it. Beat the butter until it is light and smooth about 30 seconds. Beat in the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined. Add the egg and beat till it is smooth. Then add the egg white, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon extract until combined and smooth. Mix in the flour, zest and poppy seeds until fully combined. Divide the dough in two. Shape each into a log of about 3 x 7 inches on the lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each with raw sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool for ten minutes on the baking sheet. Reduce the oven temperature to 325º. Once it is cooled, move the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs diagonally by about half an inch. Place the biscotti back on the baking sheet lying down and sprinkle with more raw sugar. Bake for another ten minutes. Flip the biscotti over and bake for another ten minutes or until they are fully cooked. Remove from the oven and.. eat. Made 20 cookies, original recipe said 24.

Week 3 Twelve Weeks of Christmas: