One of my favorite Christmas treats is biscotti. It’s so much fun to make and has become a tradition to make at Christmastime: one day in December, I will take the afternoon or morning to make biscotti, as it’s a bit more involved than regular cookies.  I was taught how to make biscotti by a sweet young lady when I was 10 or 11 years old.

Biscotti is a dry, crisp, cookie that is enjoyed with a cup of tea, coffee, milk, cider, or cocoa. It can be made ahead and frozen for weeks in advance. The process of making biscotti can be a bit tricky at first, so I’m including step-by-step pictures. I always double or triple the recipe, but here are the original measurements. Biscotti makes a lovely gift wrapped in clear bags with a festive ribbon!

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Ingredients:

½ cup butter
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoons salt
1 cup sliced almonds

In a large bowl (I use our Bosch bowl with cookie whips), use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and almond extract. Mix until smooth.

In a different bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa.

Add to creamed mixture. Mix until dough forms and then add the almonds. This dough will be very stiff and hard to work with.

Now you can preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into three equal piles.

Form each pile into a narrow rectangle, side by side on a greased jelly roll pan or large baking pan (you should be able to fit all three logs onto one sheet).

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.  Take out and let cool for about ten minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Now carefully remove each log to a cutting board. Cut the logs into ½ – ¾ inch slices. You should get about seven or eight slices from each one.

Turn each slice on its side and bake for 10 minutes at 300 degrees.

Take out and turn each biscotti on its other side. Bake for 10 more minutes at 300. Transfer biscotti to a wire to cool.

When cooled, melt 3-4 squares of white chocolate coating (I use Plymouth Pantry or you can use 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips).

Add a few teaspoons of shortening until you reach the desired consistency for drizzling. With a spoon, drizzle the tops of each biscotti with coating and let sit until the chocolate hardens.

Alternatively, you can put the melted chocolate in a plastic bag (like a Ziplock). Snip one corner just a TINY bit, and drizzle it like that. I prefer this method because it’s more delicate and you don’t have to worry about the chocolate thickening as you drizzle it. :)

 This recipe makes about 2 dozen biscotti.

(Here are the directions in a more condensed version for printing)

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and almond extract and mix until smooth. In a different bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa. Add to creamed mixture. Mix until dough forms and add almonds. Dough will be very stiff.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Divide dough into three equal piles. Form each pile into a flattened log, spaced 2 inches apart and place on a large greased baking sheet (you should be able to fit all three logs onto one sheet). Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Take out and let cool for about ten minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Cut each of the logs into ½ – ¾ inch slices. You should get about seven or eight slices from each log. Turn each slice on its side and bake for 10 minutes. Take out and turn each biscotti on its other side and bake for 10 more minutes.

Transfer biscotti to a wire rack and let cool. After cooled, melt 1-2 squares of almond bark coating with a few teaspoons shortening in the microwave. Add shortening until you reach the desired consistency for drizzling. With a spoon, drizzle the tops of each biscotti with coating and let sit until hardened. Alternatively, you can put the melted chocolate in a plastic bag (like a Ziplock). Snip one corner just a TINY bit, and drizzle it like that.

This recipe makes about 2 dozen biscotti. You can easily double or triple the batch. They freeze very well. Enjoy!