The first time I made these it was in a batch about 10 times as big (I could literally sit inside the bowl i was mixing in). It was my first solo task at my first restaurant job. I think I held my breath the entire time…which is a long time when you are cracking 60 eggs! The dough came out perfectly and I was finally taking deep breaths again as i rolled the mixing bowl back over to my work station. What the other pastry girls had forgotten to tell me (intentionally or not is still unclear) was that one of the wheels did not work and there was a drain directly in my path…a deadly combo. The wheel caught, the giant bowl keeled over, I slipped trying to stop the inevitable and biscotti dough went flying.
Not one of my finer moments.
Despite such a traumatic beginning, I still love these darn cookies.
I am not usually a biscotti lover but these defy the rules of crack-your-teeth, soak-in-your-coffee, ambiguously-kinda-almondy-flavored cookie. But if biscotti made sugary sweet love to a fudgy brownie…this would be the glorious bastard child.
Need I say more? I think not.
Santa came a bit early and TOTALLY ate my biscotti while i was trying to take some pictures. Guess I will have to make some more. Bummer.
- 3½ cups / 360g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 3½ cups / 420g all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups / 120g unsweetened coco powder
- 2 cups / 425g dark brown sugar (firmly packed)
- ¾ cup / 150g granulated sugar
- 8oz / 257g unsalted butter, cold and cubef
- 1 tsp / 4g baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 6 eggs
- 1 ½ tbl coffee extract (coffee or espresso work great also)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8oz super dark chocolate, chopped into chip-sized pieces (you can use chips here but I often find the flavor of dark chocolate to be better in bars).
- Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toast the walnuts and let cool completely.
- Combine the flour, coco powder, both sugars, baking soda and salt the the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cut butter into cubes, add to the dry ingredients and mix on low until butter is roughly the size of peas (about 5 minutes).
- Add coffee and vanilla to eggs, whisk just to break up yolks. Pour slowly into rest of the ingredients with mixer on low.
- Add walnuts and chocolate and mix just until combined.
- Flour counter generously and divide dough in two, dusting top with more flour – the dough is going to be very sticky!
- Roll into logs and place onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, let cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 250˚F.
- Slice biscotti as thinly as possible and place back on baking sheet (you will probably need two sheets lined with parchment).
- Bake for 30 minutes, turn oven off and let biscotti dry out over night.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Love the action photo. Must have been BadSanta, but his behavior is understandable.
Your dad brought some of these in to the office today and they are phenomenal! I am usually not a big cookie person but between three of us we polished these off in about 5 minutes. I was unable to save them to bring home as I originally planned. :) Really, really delicious! Thank you!