Tasty biscotti will have you saying ‘ooh’

11/11/2012
BY ALICIA ROSS

I once dated an Ital­ian man who in­sisted I pro­nounce bis­cotti with the long “o” — as it is sup­posed to be said. But when I say it like that around just about any­one else in my small South­ern town, they look at me strangely.

When it comes to these cookie-bis­cuits, I don’t care what you call them, as long as you in­clude “de­li­cious,” “mag­nif­i­cent,” “amaz­ing,” or some­thing of that sort. I adapted this rec­ipe from Karen Baker, a pop­u­lar pas­try chef in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Car­o­lina.

Dou­ble Choc­o­late Bis­cotti is a crunchy, won­der­ful choc­o­late bis­cuit that de­serves to be in a cat­e­gory all by it­self (with or with­out a long “o”). Since we will all need ex­tra des­serts dur­ing the up­com­ing hol­i­days, it’s a per­fect time to try this one.

Con­tact Ali­cia Ross at Kitchen Scoop, c/o Univer­sal Uclick, 1130 Wal­nut St., Kan­sas City, MO 64106, or send email to tel­lus@kitch­en­scoop.com. Visit the Kitchen Scoop Web site at www.kitch­en­scoop.com.

Double Chocolate Biscotti

Start to finish: 15 minutes prep; 50 minutes baking time, plus cooling time

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons creme de cacao

2¾ cups flour

1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a microwave-safe bowl, cook 4 ounces chocolate on high heat for 2 minutes, or until melted. Remove and allow to cool.

Place butter and sugar in large bowl of an electric mixer. Cream on high speed until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add melted chocolate and creme de cacao, mixing until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Add to chocolate, mixing until dry ingredients are incorporated. Dough will be stiff. Add chocolate chips and fold in.

Turn dough onto floured work surface. Form into a large loaf. Cut loaf in two lengthwise, forming each half into a 2-inch-by-10-inch log. Transfer logs to parchment-lined baking sheet and reshape as necessary. Bake for 30 minutes, or until center is firm to touch.

Remove to cool on wire racks. When logs (now about 3 inches wide by 12 inches long) are cool, cut slices about 3/4 inch thick, slightly on the bias. Place slices on parchment-lined baking sheet (you can use the same one). Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the slices over and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove to cool on wire rack. Test for desired crispness. Store in a tin for extra crispness; store in plastic for a softer cookie. The slices can be re-toasted if necessary.

Yield: Makes about 30 cookies

Approximate values per serving: 156 calories, 7 g fat (4 g saturated), 28 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, 54 mg sodium.