Every year I bake, package, and gift some home baked goods to my family as they leave our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Last year I made Red Velvet, Lemon, and Chocolate cake truffles, and this year I decided on a breakfast-y item.
Biscotti. Three ways.
They’re crunchy, can be dipped or drizzled with chocolate, look beautiful when wrapped and adorned, and are perfect for dipping in coffee, which Santa so often needs after a night of setting up presents for the little ones.
The first batch I put together was Triple Chocolate Biscotti. Need I say more? Not one, not two, but three ingredients in these biscotti cookies are chocolate based. How could this not be to die for?
Biscotti is one of those things that looks like it requires you to slave over it, but is really quite simple to make. And not only are they simple, you can dish out a ton of them with each batch.
I made three different types of biscotti and had enough to feed an army my family.
Random thought for the day: What is the plural of biscotti anyway?
Back to the chocolate talk–
- These have cocoa powder.
- These have mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- These are dipped, drizzled, or dunked in chocolate.
Hence the name…TRIPLE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI.
Triple chocolate anything sounds good to me.
The second batch of biscotti was cranberry almond dipped in either white chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, and then sprinkled with chopped almonds for crunch.
The rich color of the cranberries peeked through the cookie and made it a perfect Christmas treat. The original recipe called for pistachios, which I did not have, so I used chopped almonds and it was perfect!
Lastly, I chose a traditional holiday flavor, gingerbread biscotti, drizzled with white chocolate…of course.
I was completely shocked to finally conclude these as my favorite of the three. I mean, I’m a huge chocolate fan, but there was something about the combination of spices and white chocolate that really hit the spot, especially alongside a cup of pumpkin spice coffee. And a bonus? It uses half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour. Love when recipes include some healthier variations in them.
I’ve recently, after these cookies, come to realize I’m obsessed with gingerbread flavors.
Why is Christmas over!?!?
Holiday baking is so much fun, relaxing, and makes everyone smile.
I agree with my nephew when he said “Why can’t Christmas be everyday?”
Well, minus the crowded stores, tons of money spent, and return lines, I think pumpkin and gingerbread should make appearances year-round.
These made wonderful to-go gifts and I’m sure the parents appreciated having a simple breakfast to reach for while watching their children tear open gifts as they thought of how many days were left til the credit card bills arrived.
Merry Christmas!
Triple Chocolate Biscotti
Serves 30-32
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- Melted chocolate to drizzle over the top
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in cocoa and baking powders until combined.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Stir in flour.
- Fold in chocolate chips and chill for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Divide dough into two equalparts, and mold each part into a 9 inch log right onto the greased cookie sheet. Leave about 3 inches between the 2 logs. Wet your fingers a tad to avoid the dough sticking to your fingers. Flatten dough to the width you’d like your biscotti to be.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- Cut each loaf into approximately 1/2 inch slices. Place slices on an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake at 325 degrees F for 8-9 minutes (until dried out). Turn cookies over, and bake for 8 to 9 minutes on the other side.
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the cooled biscotti. Once chocolate is set, store in an airtight container or package for gifting.
Cranberry Almond Biscotti
Serves: 25
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 egg whites
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup chopped almonds
- 1 cup sweetened-dried cranberries
- White chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate for dipping/drizzle
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Whisk together eggs, egg whites, and almond extract in a separate small mixing bowl.
- Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, mixing just until moist and wet ingredients are absorbed, you may mix by hand or use an electric mixer. Mix in dried cranberries and almonds.
- Divide batter in half and pat each half into a log approximately 12 inches long on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Let sit for an additional 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then carefully transfer to a wire rack until cool to the touch.
- Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
- Cut biscotti into 1/2 inch slices. Place cut biscotti on cookie sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes on each side.
- Dipped cool biscotti into melted chocolate and sprinkle chopped almonds.
- Once chocolate is set, store in an airtight container.
For more recipes, CLICK HERE.
Let me tell you I’m not a huge fan of biscotti but I found them to be delicious!