Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti
These chocolate hazelnut biscotti incorporate two very popular Italian ingredients in making sweets. Hazelnuts, (Nocciola in Italian) and chocolate. Used together, the flavor is hard to beat. The word "Biscotti" actual means biscuit, but the verb "biscottare" means to bake twice. However, the word "biscotti" has come to mean, even in Italy, these twice-baked delights that we have with coffee or sweet wine. My recipes originate in the Northern part of Italy and tend to be a bit less dense. You won't have to dunk these in order to eat them. This recipe makes about 5 dozen little two inch long biscotti, so you may want to wrap and freeze some of the logs to bake at another time. They do make excellent gifts and will keep for several weeks either in a zip lock bag, or air tight glass or plastic containers. I've suggested Nielsen-Massey extracts as I believe them to be one of the best on the market. They are available in better stores or online. Nielsen-Massey produce a wide range of products and if you are not familiar with this line, you may want to investigate. Serving is calculated as three biscotti.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (114g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 2 whole eggs - large grade A
- 2 tsp Nielsen-Massey Orange Blossom Water (8.5g)
- 1 tsp Nielsen-Massey Vanilla extract (4.2g)
- 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour (300g)
- 1/2 tsp salt (3g)
- 2 tsp baking powder (8g)
- 1 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (125g)
- 1 cup chopped bitter-sweet chocolate (160g)
Instructions
THE PREP
- 1.Preheat oven to 325° for Convection and 350° for Standard.2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, chopped chocolate and chopped hazelnuts3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
MAKING THE BISCOTTI DOUGH
- Using the paddle attachment on your mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, completely incorporating one before adding the next. Add the Neilsen-Massey Orange Blossom Water (you may substitute other brands, or 1 teaspoon of orange extract) and vanilla extract.
- With the machine on low speed, scoop in the flour, chocolate and Hazelnut mixture, beat for 1 minute. Turn off the machine and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Turn the mixer back on to low speed and continue to beat another 30 seconds, or until all ingredients are combined.
- Scoop the biscotti dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and separate the dough into 5 equal pieces. If the dough is very soft, you may want to refrigerate for about 20 minutes before continuing. Roll each of the 5 pieces into log shapes, each about 9" to 10" long. Place the logs on the parchment lined baking sheet with about 2 inches between each log. If you don't want to bake the entire batch at one time, wrap each excess log in plastic wrap and place in the freezer. The dough keeps nicely for up to two months.
- Place the biscotti in your preheated oven and bake approximately 12 minutes. The logs should be golden around the edges, but still somewhat soft through the center. If they are baked too long, it is difficult to cut the logs into individual "biscotti" without breaking each piece. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- **TURN YOUR OVEN TEMPERATURE DOWN TO 275 DEGREES.
- Once the biscotti logs have cooled for 15 minutes, you need to cut them for the second baking. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut on the diagonal slices about 1/2" wide,(see photo). Use a slicing motion to cut through the top crust of the biscotti, then gently pressing down on the back of the knife to cut through to the bottom. Place each piece on the baking sheet, and return to the oven for 18 minutes.
- Once completely cooled, store in a ziplock bag or air tight container. Keep up to 2 weeks.