Looking for a delicious food gift to give this holiday season? You can't go wrong with Chocolate Citrus Biscotti, a crunchy-sweet cookie that can be dipped into coffee, hot chocolate, milk, or stand alone on its own munchy merits.
I profiled this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis last year, when I was a new food blogger. In my rookie blogger enthusiasm, I took step by step pictures of the entire biscotti baking process, and posted them on my blog. What I neglected to post was the actual recipe! So here is the recipe, below. To see the original post with a step by step, biscotti making pictorial extravaganza, click here.
Note: Giada has a sightly different biscotti recipe in her book Everyday Italian, which features crushed pistachios.
CHOCOLATE CITRUS BISCOTTI RECIPE
preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (from about one ornage)
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about two lemons)
1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (note: I used more than this, about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy.
Add the citrus zests to the dry ingredients.
Add the flour mixture to the eggs and sugar and beat just until blended. Let stand for five minutes. (Dough will be soft and sticky).
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, forming two mounds which you will shape into two 11 by 4 inch loaf shapes. To shape the loafs, first moisten your hands with cold water so the dough will not stick to your hands.
Bake until lightly brown, about 35 minutes.
Cool for five minutes.
Using a serrated knife, cut the loafs crosswise into 1/2 inch diagonal slices.
Arrange biscotti cut-side down on the same baking sheet.
Bake again until pale and golden, about 25 minutes.
Cool again for about five minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (stirring frequently) or in adouble boiler over simmering water.
Dip one cut side, or one half, the biscotti into melted chocolate and shake off excess. (Note: I applied the chocolate to half with a pastry brush. Maybe that's why I used more chocolate!)
Place the biscotti chocolate side up (if chocolate is on one side only...) on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. (Note: don't forget the parchment or wax paper, or the biscotti will stick to the pan and break!)
Finally, dip a dry pastry brush in the cocoa powder and lightly brush the cocoa over the chocolate on each biscotti.
Store in an airtight container for several days, or freeze for several weeks.
MMMmmmmmmmmm biscotti!
Nice work .Keep it up .I am from kerala india .I too have lot of recipes to share .Our ethnic recipes are based on Ayurveda
Posted by: Kerala Recipes | December 03, 2005 at 05:05 AM