An Exploration of Biscotti

For the last Tuesdays with Dorie - Baking With Julia challenge (Chocolate Truffle Tartlets) one of the ingredients for the filling was biscotti, and like so many of the other Doristas, I chose to make my own. But being me, I didn't stop at one biscotti recipe. I started with 2 and ended up with 4. And of course, still being me--because who else would I be?--I've now made a total of 8 different biscotti varieties over the last 12 days.

Citrus almond. Four-chocolate. Cinnamon espresso. Espresso hazelnut. Cherry lime. Strawberry lemon. Gluten-free four-chocolate. Savory pine-nut & sunflower seed.

As I've mentioned before, I tend to make mini versions or smaller batches when testing out new recipes, but that's still a lot of biscotti. The cinnamon-espresso, cherry-lime and strawberry-lemon were a bit heavy. I found the espresso with hazelnuts and chocolate chips missing something, but not so lacking that I didn't eat the entire batch anyway. 

The traditional biscotti recipe calls for no fat whatsoever, which gives you a very dry, crunchy cookie; add some butter and you get biscotti that is still crisp but not overly dry. That's how I've always made them because that's how Jake and I both like them. Since I love biscotti, I came up with a basic recipe that I can use as a starting point for variations, so I've included the basic recipe as well as a couple of my favorites. The basic recipe is great but it's just a jumping-off point.

Basic Biscotti Recipe

Ingredients

• 10 oz unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/2 c butter, room temp
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1-2 c add-ins, such as nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc.

Directions

1. Whisk together flour and baking powder.
2. Cream together butter, sugar and salt. Beat in the eggs one by one.
3. Add flour and stir until just combined.
4. Fold in any additions like nuts or dried fruit.
5. Form into a 13x3" log, bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool 30 minutes.
6. Slice into 1/2" to 3/4" slices and arrange flat on a baking sheet, bake 17-20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
7. Cool completely before dipping in or drizzling with chocolate.

What can I say about Four-Chocolate Biscotti that the name doesn't already say? The espresso isn't an absolute must (it's still VERY good without it), but it definitely kicks it up a notch and makes the chocolate flavors more vibrant.

Four-Chocolate Biscotti

Ingredients

• 10 oz unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/2 c butter, room temp
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 T cocoa powder
• 2 t espresso powder
• 1 T cacao nibs
• 4.5 oz chocolate, roughly chopped (or chips if you prefer)
  I like to use 2 different chocolates here for flavor, typically in the 53-57% range--using Nestle dark and semi-sweet chips works pretty well

Directions

1. Whisk together flour, espresso powder and baking powder.
2. Cream together butter, sugar and salt. Beat in the eggs one by one.
3. Add flour and stir until just combined.
4. Fold in chocolate pieces and cacao nibs.
5. Form into a 13x3" log, bake about 35 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool 30 minutes.
6. Slice into 1/2" slices and arrange flat on a baking sheet, bake 17 minutes at 350 degrees F.

My Citrus Almond Biscotti is very heavy on the citrus, but I love that a flavor that is so often relegated to the supporting role is center-stage here. The substitution of the cornmeal, which was actually something I saw in a Giada de Laurentiis recipe, pairs very well with the sweetness of the cookie and almonds.

Citrus Almond Biscotti



Ingredients

• 6 oz unbleached all-purpose flour
• 4 oz cornmeal
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/2 c butter, room temp
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 T lemon zest
• 1 T orange zest
• 1 T grapefruit zest
• 1 c chopped almond pieces

Directions

1. Whisk together flour and baking powder.
2. Cream together butter, sugar, salt, and citrus zests. Beat in the eggs one by one.
3. Add butter mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Fold in almonds.
5. Form into a 13x3" log, bake about 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool 30 minutes.
6. Slice into 1/2" slices and arrange flat on a baking sheet, bake 17-20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Transfer immediately to a rack to cool. Be careful as the biscotti is still soft.

Things I learned from this project:

1. Sun-dried tomatoes don't work well in biscotti. Any exposed tomato skin gets black when baked.
2. Savory biscotti is probably possible, but after several attempts I found it too dry without the dominant sweetness there to offset the dryness.
3. One of the greatest things about biscotti is that it's pretty forgiving. You can add more, add, less, use an extra large egg instead of a large egg and it'll still come out okay.