Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate or 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably dutch process
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup hazelnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped)
• 1/2 cup chocolate, cut into small pieces (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 to toast hazelnuts: spread on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and the skins begin to flake.
• 3 remove from oven and place nuts in a dish- towel.
• 4 roll up and let nuts 'steam' for 5 minutes and briskly rub the towel (with nuts inside) to remove the skins from the nuts.
• 5 cool and then chop coarsely.
• 6 set aside while you prepare dough.
• 7 reduce oven temperature to 300°f.
• 8 line a large baking sheet (12 x 17) with parchment paper.
• 9 in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the coarsely chopped chocolate and brown sugar and process until the chocolate is very fine; set aside.
• 10 sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl; set aside.
• 11 in bowl of electric mixer combine the eggs and vanilla and beat to blend, about 30 seconds.
• 12 on low speed mix in the chocolate/sugar and flour mixtures until a stiff dough forms, adding the hazelnuts and chocolate (if using) when about half mixed.
• 13 on a floured surface divide the dough in half.
• 14 form each half into a log, 12 inches long.
• 15 do this by rolling the dough back forth into a cylinder shape with floured hands.
• 16 transfer the logs to the baking sheet, spacing then well apart (with-wise on the pan) pat to even the shapes.
• 17 bake until firm to the touch about 40 minutes (logs will spread during baking).
• 18 remove from oven, place on wire rack, let cool for 10 minutes.
• 19 using a long spatula transfer the logs to a cutting board.
• 20 with a serrated knife cut the dough into 3/4 inch thick slices on the diagonal.
• 21 arrange the slices on the baking sheet.
• 22 bake 20 minutes at 300°f, turn the slices over and bake until crisp and dry, about 20 minutes longer.
• 23 let cool on wire rack.