Monday, June 13, 2011

Chocolate Almond Biscotti


My first attempt at biscotti was, shall we say, less than perfect. A lot less. My inexperience led me to follow the recipe exactly without listening to my instincts.

Fast forward a couple of years. I know a lot better and I still make mistakes, but blindly following the recipe is rarely one of them. So I was eager in a nervous sort of way to try this recipe.

What are biscotti? The Italian name roughly translates as "twice baked" because the dough logs are baked, cooled slightly, then sliced. The cookies are then returned to the oven for the final baking, yielding the dry and crumbly texture that makes them so perfect for dipping in coffee or milk.

These were easy to mix up and the scraps (after slicing) were yummy to snack on. In fact, these would be fine cookies without the second baking. I set them out to cool, and then it happened...

They fell in a bowl of melted chocolate.

We gamely ate them anyway, and I must admit that, shockingly, the chocolate dipped biscotti were even better than the plain ones. The plain ones were good, but the chocolate dipped ones were top 10 worthy. Truly.

If you want to make these yummy cookies, visit Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes. She has the recipe for you here. And it you'd like to dip yours in chocolate, melt about 5 ounces of the very best bittersweet chocolate you can afford, along with 1/2 tablespoon of corn syrup. Tap the biscotti against the plate before dipping (to dislodge any crumbs), dip one side, allow it to drip, then set it down face up on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once dry, your biscotti will keep for a week in a ziptop bag. But they won't last that long.

17 comments:

Tia said...

wow that looks amazing. all that chocolate. nice job!
Buttercreambarbie

Jessica of My Baking Heart said...

Whoa. Definitely the best biscotti I've seen today, Leslie!! I can just taste that chocolate-dipped one! :)

Amber Marie said...

The chocolate looks yummers! Definitely sounds like a great mishap :)

Nicole said...

They "fell" into a bowl of chocolate? How inopportune.

I wanted to dunk mine in chocolate and I should have followed that idea. Yours look quite decadent.

Peggy the Baker said...

And do you regularly have a bowl of melted chocolate on your counter?! What a happy thought! I think I'll try dipping mine next time.

Nancy/n.o.e said...

hmm, those crazy biscotti! I guess they melted the chocolate too? Yours look good, in fact, although I don't usually prefer things dipped or drizzled, I might have to try it next time I bake these.

Cindy said...

I have yet to bake biscotti. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I like the idea of dropping them in chocolate! I think you really have a winner.

Anonymous said...

I liked these plain, but I won't argue with adding more chocolate! We probably would have liked them even better if they took a dip.

Bella Baker said...

Chocolate dipped sounds just perfect to me!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUMMMMM

cocoa and coconut said...

I think chocolate dipped biscotti is better than plain! Well done on cooking them again even though the first time wasn't so successful. I've heard biscotti is really hard to make.

margot said...

Dipping them in chocolate is an excellent idea! Not that these aren't amazing on their own. I always sample biscotti in between bakes - you know, quality control.

Cakelaw said...

Mmmm, chocolate dipped chocolate biscotti sound perfect!

TeaLady said...

Strange how they just fell into the chocolate. They couldn't have ever fallen into, say, a pot of chili....

These were quite tasty. Perfect for dunking.

Hindy said...

It's so sad when good cookies drown. I'm glad you gave them a satisfying end and a fitting tribute in this blog post.

Katrina said...

Way to "take one for the team" with the drowning biscotti. :)

Di said...

Wow. Those look fabulous! I've drizzled chocolate on biscotti before, but haven't dipped them like that. Time to try it, I think. =)

Unknown said...

I wish mine had toppled into some melted chocolate! They look incredible.