Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

There's something quite indulgent about sitting down for a little "me time" with a hot beverage and a lovely biscotti cookie for dunking.  Biscotti (biss-KO-tee) means "twice-cooked" or "twice-baked", and that's indeed how these cookies are made.  They're first baked in loaf form, then sliced and baked again.  The second baking is what gives them their crunchy, dunkable character.  

Start by placing flour, dutch processed cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Whisk together and set aside until needed.

Next, chop the chocolate.  In our house, we like to use a really good quality dark chocolate - I used 85% cocoa here, but you could use something a bit sweeter.  Semi-sweet chocolate usually falls around 60% cocoa.  

In a small mixing bowl, combine the chopped chocolate and brown sugar together and set aside until needed.

You'll also need a couple of large eggs and pure vanilla extract.

And a little instant espresso powder mixed with some hot water.

I love how espresso powder accentuates the flavor of chocolate.

And don't forget the pistachio and craisins.  Chopped dried cherries would be a nice substitution for the craisins.

Now for the fun part - dump everything into a stand mixer fitted with a BeaterBlade or paddle attachment; mix until no traces of dry flour remain.  

The dough should look like this when done.  Now put the dough into a gallon-size zipper bag and chill for about 30 minutes while you preheat your oven. 

Chilling the dough makes it a little easier to handle, but it's still very sticky so I suggest gloving up before handling.  

Press the sticky mass into a 4x10-inch rectangle on a silpat or silicone lined half sheet pan.

See?  I told you the dough was sticky.

Bake as directed, then cool for 20 to 30 minutes, or until you can comfortably handle it.

Transfer the loaf to a cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices with a serrated knife.

Place each slice onto a silpat or parchment lined half sheet pan and put them back into the oven to bake again, flipping half-way through so both sides crisp up.  

After the cookies have finished baking a 2nd time, allow them to cool completely on a rack, then drizzle with melted white chocolate.  I melted my chocolate in the microwave before pouring it into a plastic zip-top bag.

Snip a very small hole in the corner of the bag and drizzle.  Work quickly - the chocolate will firm up fast. 

There you go.  Leftovers can be stored up to a week or more in an airtight container.  

Happy Dunking!

Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

makes about 20 cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 3 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder mixed with 2 tablespoons of hot water

• 1 cup shelled pistachios

• 1/2 cup craisins (or chopped dried cherries)

• melted white chocolate for drizzling

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. in a small bowl, combine chopped chocolate and brown sugar; set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with BeaterBlade or paddle attachment, place flour mixture, chocolate mixture, eggs, vanilla, espresso mixture, pistachios, and craisins; mix on medium speed until all traces of dry flour disappear.

4. Wrap cookie dough well with plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes (or up to a week).

5. Preheat oven to 300F and line a half sheet pan with a silpat or parchment paper.

6. Press cookie dough onto prepared sheet pan, forming a 4x10-inch loaf.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and allow loaf to rest for 20-30 minutes before transferring to a cutting board and cutting into 1/2-inch thick slices using a serrated knife.

9. Return sliced cookies to sheet pan and bake for another 6 or 7 minutes per side.

10. Cool cookies completely on a rack before drizzling with melted white chocolate. Leftovers can be stored for a week or more in an airtight container

adapted from Entertaining with Beth

How to Peel Hazelnuts

If you've ever struggled to remove the pesky skins off toasted hazelnuts, you know it's a maddening process that makes a huge mess.  Little pieces of papery hazelnut skin fly all over the place and no matter how hard you try, you can never get it all off.  But I want to tell you, there's a much easier way.  I shared this technique a couple of years ago when I made Nocciola Baci.  I'd seen Alice Medrich teach Julia Child the technique many years ago.  I'm amazed more people don't know about it.  Since the busy baking season will soon be upon us, I thought now would be a good time to share again.

Start with yummy hazelnuts.  Do you call them hazelnuts or filberts?  

We're going to need boiling water and....

....and baking soda.  Yes, baking soda.  Trust me, it works!

So when the water begins to boil, add the baking soda.  The mixture should bubble furiously.

Add the hazelnuts and boil for a few minutes until the skins are easily removed. 

Be careful, the mixture will foam a lot and it boils over easily.  As you can see in the photo, that happened to me when I turned my back for just a moment.   Don't be alarmed when you notice the water turning black.  Totally normal.

Keep the temp low and stir, stir, stir.  That seems to help keep the mixture from overflowing.  If at any time the bubbles get close to the top of the pan, lift the pan off the heat until the bubbles subside.

The hazelnuts are ready to go when the skin slips off easily.  Looks like mine are ready.  Strain and rinse them in cool water, slipping the skins off as you go.

4 done, 400 more to go.  The hazelnuts are now "blanched".  Allow them to dry and use them as they are or toast them to deepen their flavor.

Toast them in a hot skillet or pop them in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes.   Cool completely before using. 

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• hazelnuts https://amzn.to/3rfHpnD

• nonreactive saucepan https://amzn.to/3Grfndf

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3ob29dY

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/3ISEKGu

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How to Blanch, Peel, or Skin Hazelnuts

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups water

• 3 tablespoons baking soda

• 1 cup hazelnuts

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil in a non-reactive saucepan.

2. Add baking soda and hazelnuts; boil 2-3 minutes or until skins easily slip off (stir and adjust heat frequently to prevent mixture from boiling over).

3. Strain and rinse nuts under cold water.

4. Pinch skins off nuts; allow to dry completely.

Notes:

• This technique creates a lot of foamy bubbles so use a large saucepan to prevent the chances of the mixture boiling over and making a mess on your cooktop.

• To toast blanched hazelnuts, place on a half sheet pan and bake in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes. Cool completely before using.