For the past couple of days we've been out of biscotti, which is entirely my fault because I am the biscotti maker. The jar has been sad and empty, and I've ignored it.
Biscotti are not hard to make, but it's time consuming, and I haven't had an unencumbered stretch of time in the last week. The coffee and knitting time has been great, but I've definitely missed the biscotti, so today I decided to take the time and bake 'em.
There are so many recipes out there, and I've tried a bunch, but this one has been my favorite starting point. I've made a few changes to that I'll share with you as we go along. The dough is no harder than most any other cookie recipe.
First thing you need to do is toast the nuts. I use whatever nuts I have on hand. Usually pecans or walnuts, or in this case, a mix of both. They don't have to be toasted, but I think they taste better if they are.
I keep nuts in the freezer, and put them right from the freezer onto a baking sheet and into the oven and set the oven to 350. The nuts cook slowly for the 5-10 minutes it takes the oven to preheat to 350 degrees. I usually check them after 5 minutes and then after 8. They're done when they look all toasty and start to smell heavenly.
The food processor is a bit of overkill for me, and I broke my processor bowl a year ago anyway, so I chop them up by hand. They should be fairly fine - you want to know there are nuts, but if the pieces are too big, they can make it difficult to slice them after the first baking. You can get a sense of the size by the 1/2 tsp measure in the photo.
Set the nuts aside. Measure out the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips, and set them all aside.
On to the dough. I tried butter the first few times I made this, but the dough spread too much - even when I refrigerated it for an hour before baking, so I use butter flavored Crisco. Don't judge. In an A/B comparison, we all liked the Crisco version better. Combine the sugar and shortening in you mixer.
Take the pans out of the oven (leave oven on) and let the loaves cool for 15 minutes. This cooling is so that the loaf is not too tender and holds together a little better when you slice it. They look like this when they're done.
Transfer the baked loaf to a large cutting board. Slip the parchment paper out from underneath and put the paper back onto the baking sheet. Slice the loaf into 20 to 24 pieces. There will be breaking - especially around the edges. Consider those bits your own personal treat and be glad of them.
Put the slices back on to the baking sheet, with cut side down. Like so.
Biscotti is Italian for twice cooked, and you cook to bake it twice (Biscotti , that's why it's called biscotti, and yes, I know that biscotti is plural)
Biscotti are not hard to make, but it's time consuming, and I haven't had an unencumbered stretch of time in the last week. The coffee and knitting time has been great, but I've definitely missed the biscotti, so today I decided to take the time and bake 'em.
There are so many recipes out there, and I've tried a bunch, but this one has been my favorite starting point. I've made a few changes to that I'll share with you as we go along. The dough is no harder than most any other cookie recipe.
First thing you need to do is toast the nuts. I use whatever nuts I have on hand. Usually pecans or walnuts, or in this case, a mix of both. They don't have to be toasted, but I think they taste better if they are.
I keep nuts in the freezer, and put them right from the freezer onto a baking sheet and into the oven and set the oven to 350. The nuts cook slowly for the 5-10 minutes it takes the oven to preheat to 350 degrees. I usually check them after 5 minutes and then after 8. They're done when they look all toasty and start to smell heavenly.
The food processor is a bit of overkill for me, and I broke my processor bowl a year ago anyway, so I chop them up by hand. They should be fairly fine - you want to know there are nuts, but if the pieces are too big, they can make it difficult to slice them after the first baking. You can get a sense of the size by the 1/2 tsp measure in the photo.
Set the nuts aside. Measure out the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips, and set them all aside.
On to the dough. I tried butter the first few times I made this, but the dough spread too much - even when I refrigerated it for an hour before baking, so I use butter flavored Crisco. Don't judge. In an A/B comparison, we all liked the Crisco version better. Combine the sugar and shortening in you mixer.
Cream them together - you're not looking for light and fluffy here - just incorporated
Beat in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla and almond extracts.
Then add the cocoa powder, dry ingredients, and chocolate chips and nuts.
You'll need two large baking sheets lined with parchment.
Divide the dough into 4 parts, two per baking sheet, like this.
Shape the dough into logs 17 inches long and 3 inches wide. If you find the dough is sticky, dip you hands in cool water. Shaping the dough will be much easier.
Pop them into your preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes.
Take the pans out of the oven (leave oven on) and let the loaves cool for 15 minutes. This cooling is so that the loaf is not too tender and holds together a little better when you slice it. They look like this when they're done.
Transfer the baked loaf to a large cutting board. Slip the parchment paper out from underneath and put the paper back onto the baking sheet. Slice the loaf into 20 to 24 pieces. There will be breaking - especially around the edges. Consider those bits your own personal treat and be glad of them.
Put the slices back on to the baking sheet, with cut side down. Like so.
Biscotti is Italian for twice cooked, and you cook to bake it twice (Biscotti , that's why it's called biscotti, and yes, I know that biscotti is plural)
No comments:
Post a Comment