Week 34: Biscotti

This week I learned that if I attempt something, and am even mildly successful, that it becomes an obsession for me. It started with me making some Cornmeal Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti for a dinner I was attending. It turned out pretty well, especially for something that I had no prior experience making. That made me decide that I wanted to experiment more with different recipes for biscotti. Well, that AND the fact that there is nothing cozier than drinking a hot cup of coffee, dunking sweet, crumbly biscotti. I even gave it away as gifts to coworkers. I listed the recipes below in the order that I enjoyed them, from the most to the least. Oddly enough...I can't seem to find any photos. I'll post them later if I find them!

Chocolate Biscotti
(Source: Parade Magazine...you know, the one that comes in the newspaper)

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1 Sift together dry ingredients. Beat butter and sugar together until very smooth, then beat in the eggs. Mix in dry ingredients until blended. Fold in cranberries and chocolate chips.
2. Shape the dough into a long, flat-ish, thick log. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, cool 20 minutes.
3. Slice into 1/2-inch-thick cookies. Stand them up on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Cranberry-Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti
(Source: Martha Stewart)

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pistachios

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
2.Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and mix until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, until well combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined. Add lemon zest, cranberries, and pistachios and mix until combined.
3.Transfer dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat into a log that is roughly 14 by 3 1/2 inches. Bake until firm, lightly browned, and slightly cracked on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.
4.Transfer log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies, rotating sheet halfway through, until they begin to brown at edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

**I used this same recipe for another batch, but replaced the cranberries and pistachios with dried tart cherries and mini chocolate chips. I also added a tiny bit of almond and vanilla extracts. It was so yummy.

Orange Almond Biscotti
(Source: allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 pinch salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon orange zest
3 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a baking sheet.
2.In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, almonds, and orange zest. Make a well in the center and add the eggs oil, and almond extract. Stir or mix by hand until the mixture forms a ball.
3.Separate dough into 2 pieces and roll each one into a log about 8 inches long. Place logs on prepared baking sheet and flatten so they are about 3/4 inch thick. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly, and remove from baking sheets. Slice diagonally into 1/2 inch slices with a serrated knife. Set cookies on side back onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, turning over after half of the time. Finished cookies should be hard and crunchy.

Almond Biscotti
(Source: Joy of Baking...who, based on measurements, is apparently from another country...)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup (145 grams) blanched whole almonds, toasted and chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Toast almonds for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely. Set aside.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs and extracts together. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until blended (about 30 seconds). Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding almonds about halfway through. On a lightly floured surface roll dough into a log about 14 inches (35 cm) long and 3 - 4 inches (8 - 10 cm) wide. Transfer log to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch (log will spread during baking). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Transfer log to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut log into slices 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick on the diagonal. Arrange evenly on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.


Pumpkin Biscotti
(Source: Simply Recipes)

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
Pinch of ginger
Pinch of cloves
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup of pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and spices into a large bowl.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Give it a rough stir to generally incorporate the ingredients, the dough will be crumbly.

3. Flour your hands and a clean kitchen surface and lightly knead the dough. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Form the dough into a large log, roughly about 15-20 inches by 6-7 inches. The loaves should be relatively flat, only about 1/2 inch high. Bake for 22-30 minutes at 350 F, until the center is firm to the touch. (Feel free to also form two smaller logs for cute two-bite biscotti; just cut the baking time to 18-24 minutes.)

4. Let biscotti cool for 15 minutes and then using a serrated knife cut into 1 inch wide pieces. Turn the oven to 300 F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.

Biscotti may be still a tad moist and chewy, so if you prefer it crisp let it sit uncovered overnight in a dry space. (I would have liked them better if they were more dry and crumbly, but I didn't do the whole sitting them out overnight thing.) Serve and enjoy.

Cappuccino Biscotti
(Source: Joy of Baking)

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup (100 grams) hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 grams) pure vanilla extract
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder (optional)
1/2 cup (85 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Toast hazelnuts for 10 - 15 minutes or until the skins start to blister. Remove from oven and place hazelnuts in a clean towel and let steam for about 5 minutes. Then briskly rub the towel back and forth to remove the skins of the hazelnuts . Let cool and then coarsely chop. Set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, spices, and espresso powder until combined. Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding the chopped nuts and chocolate chips about halfway through. With floured hands divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface roll each half of dough into a log about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Transfer logs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart, and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch (logs will spread during baking). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

On a cutting board, with a serrated knife, cut each log crosswise, on the diagonal, into 3/4 inch (2 cm) slices. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.