David Rubel's

What's For Dinner?

11/1/06

Chocolate Biscotti

makes about 24 biscotti

I can’t figure out why biscotti are so expensive to buy when they’re so easy to make. They also taste better when you make them yourself. I suspect that, like tomatoes grown to be shipped, commercial biscotti are baked for shelf life, not taste.

2 eggs at room temperature
4 Tbs unsalted butter, melted but not hot
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c unbleached flour
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 Tbs instant espresso powder
3/4 c semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c pine nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Using a fork, beat together the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment), combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Mix at a low speed. With the paddle still turning, add the chocolate chips and pine nuts. Then slowly drizzle in the egg mixture and continue mixing until the dough forms a ball.

4. Lightly flour your hands and a countertop. Turn the dough out onto the countertop and shape it into two eight-inch logs. Flatten each log slightly so that its cross-section is oval rather than round.

5. Place the logs on the parchment paper and bake until they firm up, about 35 minutes. Remove and let cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

6. Once the logs have cooled, gently slice them diagonally on a cutting board to create biscotti about 3/4-inch thick. Return these to the baking sheet cut-side down and bake for 10 minutes, then flip the biscotti and bake until done, perhaps another 5-10 minutes. Cool the biscotti on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container.

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Tips

* You want the eggs to be at room temperature because cold eggs will cause the melted butter to congeal. (A quick way to warm the eggs is to place them in a bowl of warm water.) You also want the melted butter to have cooled a little so that it doesn’t cook the eggs.

* Instead of parchment paper, try using a silicon baking mat. These are a little pricy, but they last forever and nothing sticks to them.

* If you don’t have a stand mixer, don’t worry. Measure the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and combine them with a whisk, then stir in the chocolate chips and nuts and use your hands to form a well in the center (as you would when making fresh pasta). Pour the egg mixture into the well, and use your fingers to knead the dough well before forming the logs.

* Handle the once-cooked biscotti logs delicately while slicing them because the dough will still be crumbly.

* Experiment with different nuts. Pine nuts are easy, but pecans and hazelnuts also work well. Just be sure to toast them first—and, with hazelnuts, you’ll need to rub off the skins.

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If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future.

David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Coming Free: The Struggle for African-American Equality (DK, 2005).