Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

The very Italian recipes only use eggs and no other fat- making for a very hard and not so sweet biscuit… similar to a Greek paksimathi (which can either be dried bread rusks or something sweeter and similair to biscotti.)

American biscotti are more similar to a cookie because we add some kind of fat- in this case, (and most others) butter.




I like the American version better. When I make the Greek version…well… then I will have really accomplished something.

These biscotti are perfectly hard, but not too hard, sweet but not too sweet, and above all just delicious. When I have them with coffee I get a glassy look in my eyes because I have briefly visited a taste utopia.

Ingredients:

    1 cup all purpose flour
    1 1/4 whole wheat pastry flour (you can alternately use all purpose flour)
    1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    6 tablespoons butter, softened
    3/4 cup sugar
    2 large eggs
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 cup raw hazelnuts
    3/4 cup chopped semi sweet chocolate (I like the Ghirardelli bars)




Method:

    Preheat oven to 350.
    Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast at 350 for about 8 minutes- or until they are fragrant and light brown. Cool and chop. Then lower oven temperature to 325.
    Beat sugar and butter together, and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the other one.
    Whisk flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and add to butter mixture.
    Fold in chopped chocolate and hazelnuts. The mixture will be sticky.
    Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (not totally necessary if you don’t have parchment paper)
    Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a log about 3″ across.
    Bake for about 30 minutes. Until the log is firm to the tough and lightly golden brown.
    Take out of the oven and let cool for a good 20 minutes. Turn oven up to 350.
    Using a serrated knife cut slices of biscotti. A generous 1/2″ or so and place onto a baking sheet. Bake for about 6-8 minutes, then flip the biscotti and bake the other side until they are an even golden brown.






adapted from http://twistycookies.tumblr.com/