Recipe: Chocolate Studded Biscotti

CHOCOLATE-STUDDED BISCOTTI

"Instead of nuts, these two-bite biscotti are studded with pieces of bittersweet chocolate. This recipe started out as a favor to my son, who doesn't love nuts in baked goods. I was skeptical-after all, nuts, especially almonds, are considered a central ingredient in biscotti. Turns out, though, the kid was right. These biscotti make great dunkers."



1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups/255 g unbleached all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup/150 g sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 tablespoons/70 g unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-in/12-mm pieces, at cool room temperature
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1⁄2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 oz/115 g bittersweet chocolate, cut into small chunks

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F/180C. Lightly coat an 11-by-17-inches/28-by-43-cm rimmed baking sheet with the oil.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly on low speed.

Add the butter in pieces and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture looks like damp sand.

Set aside 1 tablespoon of the beaten eggs. Pour the remaining eggs, the almond extract, and vanilla into the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until a soft, slightly sticky dough has formed.

Add the chocolate chunks and mix on low speed just until incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it into a disk. Divide it into quarters. Lightly moisten your hands with water and gently roll one portion of dough into a rough oval. Place it crosswise on the baking sheet and use your hands and fingers to stretch and pat the dough into a log about 1 1/2-inches/4 cm wide and 9-inches/23 cm long. Shape the remaining pieces of dough in the same way, moistening your hands as necessary. Set the logs crosswise on the baking sheet, leaving at least 2-inches/5 cm between them. Press down on the logs to flatten them out a bit and make the tops even.

Lightly brush the tops of the logs with the reserved beaten egg.

Bake the logs for 20 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and just set-they should be springy to the touch and there should be cracks on the surface. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Gently slide an offset spatula under each log to loosen it from the baking sheet. Let the logs cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to the racks and let cool for 20 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F/150C.

Transfer the cooled logs to a cutting board and, using a Santoku knife or a serrated bread knife, cut them on the diagonal into 3/4-inch/2-cm-thick slices. Arrange the slices, cut-side up, on the baking sheet (in batches if necessary).

Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake for another 9 to 10 minutes, until they are crisp. Transfer the slices to the rack to cool completely.

The biscotti will keep for up to 10 days in an airtight container stored at room temperature.

Makes about 48 biscotti
Source: Ciao Biscotti by Domenica Marchetti (Chronicle Books March 2015; ISBN; 978-1-4521-2495-7).