Chocolate Cocoa Nib and Pecan Biscotti

 

 

Desiring something a little more chocolatey I reworked my tried and true biscotti recipe to make these – they’re not too sweet, and they satisfy the cravings for chocolate.  If you’d rather not mess around with the dipping chocolate you could just add some semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter instead.

What you need:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups white flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup pecan pieces

2 tablespoons cocoa nibs

(3/4 cup semisweet chocolate optional)

For the chocolate coating:

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

What to do:

1. Cream the butter, then add sugar, then eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

4. Combine dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.  Add the nuts and cocoa nibs and stir until just combined.

5. Divide the dough into two pieces.  With floured hands form into two logs on a baking sheet.  Bake at 325F for 25-30 minutes.

6. Slice the baked rolls diagonally and place on a baking sheet.  Lower the oven to 300F and bake for 10-15 minutes, until slighty browned.  Turn over and bake for another 10-15, until that side is also slightly browned.

7. Place on cooling racks to cool before you dip them.

8.  Using a double boiler, or just a bowl over a pot of water, bring the water to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.  Place 2oz of the chocolate in the top of the double boiler, and stir from time to time until it melts completely.

9.  Take the chocolate off the heat and add the rest of the chocolate, stirring until it melts completely.  Return to the heat and stir until it is very liquidy again.  I use this method to temper the chocolate without a candy thermometer – tempering makes the chocolate firm when it cools, and gives it a shiny finish.

10.  Dip each biscotti into the chocolate and let it sit until the chocolate hardens.

Store the biscotti in an airtight container.  They last quite a while – well, they would last quite a while if people didn’t eat them all up!