Fruity, Nutty Chocolate Biscotti

I am excited to be sharing a recipe with you from Zoë François’ new book, Zoë Bakes Cookies, a follow-up to her incredible Zoë Bakes Cakes book. If you aren’t familiar with Zoë’s work, the short answer is that she is a pastry chef extraordinaire, and you can check out some of her amazing recipes and process videos on her website and over on her Instagram account.

Her new book is a cookie tome with not only pages of incredible recipes, but a “cookie academy” section that will answer many of your pressing baking questions. I highly recommend adding this one to your cookie cookbook collection!

As for the biscotti, I first encountered biscotti at the mall coffee shop my sister and I both worked at over holiday and summer vacations. The biscotti was sent to the store already wrapped in plastic and sat out on the counters to tempt customers with a quick purchase. I found I preferred the chocolate ones that were also dipped in more chocolate, and dunked them into my already too-sweet iced mocha (which probably isn’t the “proper” way to eat one, but brought me joy none-the-less).

There is also, however, the day a biscotti was used as a weapon against us underpaid baristas. One afternoon, after ringing up a woman for a biscotti and a Mocha Chiller (our version of a frappuccino), this particular customer became upset at the cost of her total: $5.01 in 1996! After insisting my sister was overcharging her, she opened up her biscotti and threw it towards her. My sister tried to block the cookie and put her hands up while exclaiming, “whoa, lady”, but she was too late; the cookie bounced off the counter and hit my sister in the chest. Our mouths fell open in surprised laughter, and the customer removed herself and her expensive drink from the store in a dramatic huff. All in a days work as a retail employee, alas.

A recipe for Chocolate Biscotti:

Zoë writes that she bakes these biscotti to give away as holiday gifts, and they are ideal for gifting because they last for weeks at room temperature, freeze well, and look like they are studded with jewels because of the nuts and fruit. While they are perfect for dunking in coffee (or wine!), they are also a satisfying after-dinner treat. Or, try them crumbled on top of vanilla ice cream for added flavor and a satisfying crunch.

Perfecting the Slicing of Biscotti

• Let the baked logs cool slightly (5–10 minutes) before slicing to prevent crumbling.
• Use a sharp serrated knife for clean cuts. Slice at a diagonal for longer biscotti or straight for shorter pieces.

Fruity, Nutty Chocolate Biscotti

Servings: 30 to 40 biscotti

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

These chocolate dipped chocolate biscotti are studded with nuts and dried fruit, making for a beautiful, delicious cookie! Dunk in coffee (or wine!), or crumble on top of ice cream. They are great for the holidays because they store well at room temperature, and freeze well.

Sarah Kieffer

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Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cup [200 g] all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup [40 g] Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 6 oz [170 g] bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup [120 g] whole hazelnuts or other nut
• 1 cup [135 g] dried tart cherries
• 1/3 cup [50 g] coarsely chopped candied peel or candied ginger
• 4 oz [112 g] bittersweet chocolate, melted (optional)
• Flaky sea salt, optional

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt on low speed, until just combined, about 15 seconds. Add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla, and turn the speed up to medium, and mix until it just comes together into a thick but wet dough, for about 1 minute. Mix the chocolate, nuts, dried cherries, and candied citrus until just combined. You may need to stir with a rubber spatula to make sure they are evenly distributed.
• Form the dough into two equal logs 8 in [20 cm] wide by 3 in [7.5 cm] long and place them on the prepared pan. Leave about 3 in [7.5 cm] between them, so they have room to spread.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the dough is set but still soft.
• Allow the logs to cool, just until they are cool enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the logs into slices 1/2 in [1.3 cm] thick. Keep the oven on.
• Lay the slices on the baking sheet and bake again for 10 minutes. Flip the biscotti over and bake for about 10 more minutes, or until crisp.
• Cool on the baking sheet and store in an airtight container. These cookies last for weeks. Before serving, drizzle with melted chocolate (see note) and sprinkle with a few flakes of salt, if desired. Let the chocolate set before serving.

Notes

Notes:

*Zoë weights her flour slightly different than mine, so you will notice that the gram measurements are different ratios. If you have a kitchen scale, please use it here to weigh the flour! 

*I dipped the biscotti in chocolate instead of drizzling. I used 8 oz of semisweet chocolate, melted with 1 tablespoon of shortening. When the biscotti were cool, I dipped half of the cookie into the chocolate, and let it cool on a parchment-lined baking sheet until set. The shortening helps the chocolate not turn color, but does remove some of the shine.

*There is a lot of room for variations here! I like to use half mini chocolate chips and half chopped chocolate in the base of the cookie. I also use King Arthur’s Orange Jammy Bits in place of the candied citrus peel, and swap out hazelnuts for macadamia nuts. 

 

*Recipe reprinted from Zoë Bakes Cookies, with permission.