Biscotti. Until recently, I didn’t really “get” biscotti. The whole “hard cookie” thing never did much to whet my appetite, but lately, I’ve learned to appreciate it more. With a good cup of coffee, these are lovely. The cranberry adds a nice twist of tartness to the chocolate and walnuts.
Ingredients
1 cup walnut pieces, roughly chopped
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher slat
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped if they are big
Coffee extract:
1/4 cup boiling water
2 oz instant espresso powder
Directions
For the coffee extract, slowly stir the hot water directly into the espresso powder, stirring well, then set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet parchment paper or silpat, and spread the walnuts in a single layer. Toast them, stirring occasionally, until they’re lightly golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool the sheet on a wire rack, keeping the oven on.
In the work bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed until the ingredients are well combined, about 4 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, a tablespoon of the coffee extract, and vanilla. Add the mixture to the flour mixture and beat on low speed to combine. Add the cooled nuts, the chocolate chips and dried cranberries, and beat just to combine.
Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface and divide it in half. Shape each portion into a 16×2 inch log, and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart.
Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the logs are firm to the touch, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer the logs still on the parchment paper, to a wire rack and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
Reduce the oven temp to 250F. Transfer the warm logs to a cutting board, and using a serrated knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into 1/3-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices, cut side up, on the baking sheet. Bake until the biscotti are dry and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the sheet of biscotti cool completely on the rack.
