Nutella Biscotti

I love everything Nutella so these were a winner in our book!

Nutella Biscotti
Ingredients
2 1/4 C flour
2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 C sugar
1/2 C chocolate chips
1/2 C hazelnuts (optional, but why would you NOT!?)

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350
-Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, powder, and salt in a medium bowl
-Beat eggs in a large bowl until frothy; add sugar and continue beating for 2 minutes
-Stir in Nutella; add flour mixture and stir until well combined
-Add chocolate chips and nuts
-Divide dough into 2 or 3 logs and with well-floured hands (A MUST), arrange onto parchment paper and form into rectangles/logs around 1/2 inch thick.
-Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, cool, and lower oven temp to 300.  Using a serrated knife, cut logs into slices 1/3-1/2 inch thick and lay on their sides on the parchment paper lined pan.  Bake 10-12 minutes, flip over, bake additional 10-12 minutes.  Let cool.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

We are biscotti lovers. I love nothing more than brewing a fresh pot of coffee in the morning on the weekend and dunking in a fresh biscotti. I made this one for a family party a few months ago and forgot to blog about it! It was a big hit, but definitely was not peanut-y enough. I did not add the peanuts and the next time I make these, I definitely will because it needed that for a peanut-boost.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Biscotti
adapted from Food Network

Ingredients
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

Directions
Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Continue to cook until the butter browns and gets a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar while beating. Then slowly add the butter and vanilla until evenly mixed, about 30 seconds more. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.

While mixing slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 2 additions, mixing just until absorbed. Fold in the peanuts and chocolate pieces.

Divide the dough evenly into thirds, and put each portion in the center of a baking sheet. Shape the dough with slightly wet hands into logs about 2-inches wide and 15 inches long. Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool logs on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut logs crosswise, with a long serrated knife at about a 45 degree angle, into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Cool biscotti on the baking sheets. Serve.

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

I love biscotti. Love love love it. I often make it on Sunday nights as a treat and send C with it or surprise my English department friends with it. I have been wanting to make a chocolate hazelnut biscotti for awhile now, and when I stumbled across this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, I was excited.

I am not sure where I went wrong, because although the taste was good, these were a dental bill waiting to happen. Too crunchy for my tastes, and I love dunking in my coffee or tea! I may have overbaked them so I will either give these another test-run, or I will find another recipe to try.

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti
as seen on Smitten Kitchen, adapted from the New York Times

Ingredients
1 cup whole hazelnuts, preferably blanched
2 1/2 cups flour, plus flour for work surface
1/2 cup Dutch-style cocoa powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread hazelnuts on baking sheet and toast about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. If hazelnuts are not blanched, toast them until the skins begin to crack, then remove them from oven and wrap them in clean linen or cotton towel (not terrycloth). Rub hot nuts to remove most of the skin. Set toasted nuts aside.

2. Sift the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder together and set aside.

3. Beat eggs lightly, just until blended, in mixing bowl with whisk or in electric mixer. Remove two tablespoons of egg mixture to small dish and set aside. Beat sugar into remaining eggs until blended. Stir in flour mixture to form soft dough.

4. Divide the dough in half and place one portion on a well-floured work surface. With floured hands, pat it into a six-inch square. Scatter half the hazelnuts on the dough and press them into the surface. Roll the dough into a cylinder about 2 inches in diameter and 12 to 15 inches long. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and place the roll of dough on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Brush the tops of both rolls with the reserved egg.

5. Place in the oven and bake about 15 minutes, until firm to the touch (20 minutes in my oven). Transfer to a cutting board, let cool for 10 minutes and cut on an angle into slices one-half-inch thick. Return the slices to the baking sheet, laying them on their cut sides, and return them to the oven. Bake another 20 minutes, until they are crisp and dry. Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.

Orange Almond Biscotti

REALLY LATE Day 7 of 12 Days of Treats from the Control Freak

Orange Almond Biscotti

America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 c. almonds, toasted, cooled and chopped coarse
2 Tbsp minced zest from an orange

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl and set aside.
-Cream the butter and sugar until light and smooth, about 2 min.
-Beat in eggs then the extracts.
-Stir in almonds and zest.
-Fold dry ingredients into wet until dough is just mixed.
-Halve the dough and turn portions onto prepared baking sheet.
-Stretch each portion into a rough 13 by 2 in. loaf and pat smooth.
-Bake about 35 minutes or until the loaves are golden and just beginning to crack on top.
-Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
-Lower oven temp to 325 degrees and cut each loaf diagonally into 3/4 in. slices.
-Lay each slice cut-side up on baking sheet and return to oven.
-Bake, turning each cookie half way through baking for about 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown on both sides.
-Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

(Optional - dip one side in melted chocolate!)

Orange Cranberry White Chocolate Biscotti

Biscotti has become one of my favorite things to bake. I first gave it a whirl on Christmas Day last year, and when I saw this recipe, I could not pass it up. It is a delicious combination and I made them to send in my care package to my family in Idaho. Of course, I saved a few for us. Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea!

Orange Cranberry White Chocolate Biscotti

As seen on Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1½ cups sugar
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. orange zest
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl; stir together with a fork and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries with a rubber spatula.

Divide the dough in half. Working with one portion of dough, shape into a 12″ x 3″ log on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough so that the logs are laying parallel and spaced apart on the baking sheet. Bake until the logs are golden brown, 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 25 minutes, maintaining the oven temperature in the meantime.

Carefully transfer the logs to a work surface and remove the parchment paper from the pan. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into ½-inch slices on the diagonal. Lie the slices on one of their cut sides back on the baking sheet. Return to the oven and bake for 12 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.