Update: Every year in early December this becomes one of the most popular recipes on Farmgirl Fare. Click here for a sampling of rave reviews and signature touches from Farmgirl Fare readers. I used to be intimidated by biscotti. It always looked so elegant and so unavailable to the humble home baker. How did each piece come out looking that perfect? The entire process of making biscotti was mystifying. But when I finally worked up the courage to bake some, I discovered the most wonderful thing: there is no mystery to biscotti. It's easy to make, even on your first try. All it takes is a little time and the right recipe. Traditional Italian biscotti is not my kind of cookie. It doesn't contain butter, it's flavored with anise, and it's break-your-teeth hard because it's meant to be dunked in coffee before biting into it. This dough is extremely easy to work with because it bypasses the one aspect of biscotti making that can cause difficulty, and that is all the "stuff" that's often mixed in: nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chunks, and so forth. Those tasty and attractive looking add-ins make it harder to shape the logs, and even harder to cut the biscotti into nice, even, perfect looking slices. You can, of course, stir in whatever extras you like. Just remember that I warned you. Another thing that makes this biscotti recipe an excellent choice for beginners is the fact that the dough is dark because of the chocolate, so no one will be able to tell if you overbaked your biscotti or if all of the pieces aren't the same lovely shade of golden brown. The only other thing you need to know about biscotti is that it is, by definition, a twice baked cookie, so it does take some time from start to finish. First you form the dough into 'logs' and bake them.
Perfect for gift giving, homemade biscotti is easier to make than you think.
My recipe, on the other hand, turns tradition on its ear. It calls for butter, produces a cookie with a nice crunch that stands up to dunking but also tastes fine on its own, and is chocolate. I love it.
After the baked logs have cooled, you slice them up. Then you bake the slices, turning them over halfway through the baking time. I'll admit this part is kind of a hassle, but it's really not too bad. I know that some people prefer to stand the pieces up so they don't have to turn them, but if I tried that, I'm sure they would all collapse like one of those giant domino things while I was moving the baking sheet from the counter to the oven—that is if I could even get them to stand up in the first place. I find it easier to simply flip the slices over. Because it looks so perfect, and because it stays fresh for many days, homemade biscotti makes for a very nice gift. Package it in little cellophane bags tied with a colorful ribbon (I like I highly recommend investing in a couple of heavy duty As always, I urge you to seek out 
Farmgirl Susan's Easy Chocolate Biscotti **Click here to print this recipe** Ingredients: 2/3 cup (4 ounces) semisweet or dark chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) 1 beaten egg white for glaze (optional)
Makes about 36 Pieces
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 ounces) organic butter
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 to 2¼ cups organic all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
1 teaspoon salt
Make it a mochaccino!
Adding 1 Tablespoon of instant espresso powder (I use
Instructions:
1. Heat the oven to 350°. Melt the butter and chocolate together (I put them in a
Pyrex measuring cup and microwave them) and set aside.2. With an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until lightened, about two minutes.
3. Add the vanilla and chocolate mixture.
4. Mix in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt just until combined. You should have a soft, but not sticky, dough. Add the extra 1/4 cup of flour if dough is too sticky.
5. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, form each half into a log that is 3½ inches by 9 inches. Place the logs on a heavy duty baking sheet and brush with egg white if desired (I use a
silicone brush). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are set. Update: some readers have said their loaves sliced better when cooked a little less than 25 minutes, so I've changed the directions accordingly.6. Reduce the oven to 275°. Let the logs cool as long as you can (the cooler they are, the easier to cut), and then slice into 1/2-inch thick slices (I use my
large serrated bread knife and push it through the loaves rather than 'sawing' the slices).7. Arrange the slices on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully turn the slices over, and bake for another 20 minutes.
8. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container or freeze.
Still hungry? Try these other Farmgirl Fare treats:
Cookies and Bars
Baby Chocolate Chip and Toffee Shortbread BitesLittle Molasses Ginger Spice Snaps
Toasted Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Big Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies
(and how to hug a sheep)
Yip Yap Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana SnapsChoco-Oat-Butterscotch-Coconut Crazy Cookies
All Nautral Honey Peanut Butter Cookies
Apple Blueberry Crumble Bars
Quick and Easy Raspberry Almond Bars
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cinnamon Raisin Cookie Bars
100% Whole Grain Bran Muffins
(super popular, four different flavors)
100% Whole Grain Ginger Pear Bran MuffinsCakes, Tarts, and More
Quick Emergency Chocolate CakeChocolate Babycakes
Easy Orange Yogurt Loaf Cake
Heavenly Lemon Coconut Quick Bread
Chocolate, Cinnamon & Banana Mexican Monkey Cake
Autumn Pear and Apple Crisp
Can't live on sweets alone? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.
© FarmgirlFare.com, the chocoholic foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres—and there can never be too much chocolate.
