Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti
"Chocolate + Hazelnut. This pair whisks me back to my studies in Italy bacio, nocciola, nutella hazelnuts are ubiquitous there and they happen to be my absolute favorite. Every Christmas I make a big batch of dark chocolate hazelnut biscotti. They are my signature biscotti and I dont fool around with the recipe. Biscotti have many merits. First and foremost, they are acceptable to eat for breakfast. Yay. Then theres the fact that they taste even better with a little coffee. These are made without butter and I consider them a healthier alternative to the rest of my holiday bake list. Plus they are easy to make ahead, freeze and store for your holiday celebrations."
Makes24 biscotti
Preparation Time15 min
Cooking Time1 hr
Cooking Vessel Sizecookie sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons amaretto
- 1/3 cup blanched almonds, toasted
- 12 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, cut into small chunks
- 1 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, peeled and chopped into large pieces
Instructions
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Grease a large baking sheet and set aside for the biscotti.
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Heat oven to 375.
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Go ahead and place the almonds and hazelnuts on separate sheet pans and toast them in the oven as it warms up. The almonds only take about 5 min - so watch them carefully. The hazelnuts a tad longer. Just until they start to brown.
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In a large bowl, combine the sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
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In a food processor, place cup of the flour mixture and add the toasted almonds. Grind until fine and powdery (about 30 sec).
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Add the almond mixture to the bowl with the rest of the flour mixture. Stir to combine. Mix in chopped chocolate and hazelnuts.
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In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, extract, and amaretto together. Add to dry ingredients and mix. If the mixture seems too dry, add 1 tbsp water, up to 4 tbs. Sometimes it's just enough moisture to wet my palms and handle the dough.
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Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and divide into 2 pieces.
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Roll out to 5x13x1 flattened rectangular logs. Transfer logs to greased baking sheet.
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Bake 25-30 min. Rotating pan after 15 min. Remove from oven and let cool 30 min.
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Reduce temp to 300 and cut logs diagonally with serrated knife. I find it's easier to apply pressure to cut them rather than a slicing motion.
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Grease pan again. Lay slices on one of their cut sides and bake 25-30 min. Let cool in oven with door ajar.
