Dark Chocolate Cappuccino Biscotti

It’s official – I am obsessed. Okay, okay, I know I say that a lot, but let’s face it, I think it’s safe for us to point out the obvious and say that I have a bit of an obsessive personality. And when I say “a bit” of an obsessive personality, what I really mean is that I have a lot of an obsessive personality. If you don’t believe me, just as Cole – he can tell you all about it 😀

Now, for the sake of having nothing but kind words for ourselves, rather than calling a spade a spade and describing this personality trait of mine as just plain weird, let’s just say that this obsessive trait of mine is quirky… that’s a good word right – quirky? Yes, I like it, but I have to admit that this quirky personality trait can become a bit of an inconvenience to my life at times. Take my current obsession with re-watching the TV series Lost on Netflix for example; Every night Cole and I watch an episode of Lost, and every night I get so obsessed about what is going to happen in the next episode that I end up making us stay up to watch episode, after episode, until before I know it, it’s 2 am on a weeknight and we both need to be up in three and a half hours…. whoopsies. (Cole can tell you all about this too 😛 )

On the other hand, this quirky little trait of mine is definitely not without its charms. As you may already know, I am a girl who likes to bake – Now, is this hobbie in itself an obsession of mine? Perhaps, but we won’t get into that right now. However, what I would like to discuss, are the various food obsessions I find myself experiencing on a weekly basis, as a direct result of my baking compulsions.

Case in point, Biscotti. Oh Biscotti… how I love you. Let me tell you, until last week, I was never a girl to get excited about a little Biscotti; In fact, until last week, I didn’t even like Biscotti. Say whatttt? That’s right, I went from completely hating Biscotti to being positively obsessed with it.

Now you’re probably asking yourself at least one of the two following questions; Firsly, how exactly does one go from being a Biscotti hater to a Biscotti lover literally within a matter of minutes? And more importantly, what kind of maniac doesn’t like Biscotti in the first place? Well, when I was a little girl, I tried store bought Biscotti and thought that it was like eating a tasteless, very thick, and crunchy, stale cracker; Needless to say, I was not a fan, and ever since that experience I have been avoiding Biscotti like the plague…That is, until last week.

Last week during one of my many trips to Starbucks, while I was waiting for my Iced Coffee, I was gazing into their case of baked goodies wishing that I had bought myself an Oat Fudge bar to snack on when a piece of biscotti caught my eye. The biscotti got me  thinking that it really is a very aesthetically appealing and delicious looking cookie. I was lured in by the look of the crackly top, and the crisp edges and strangely, I wanted to eat it.

However, I was not to be fooled by its devilishly good looks. I have been fooled by the good looks of Starbucks treats before only to be sadly disappointed by their taste. So I exercised my abilities in will powder and restrained myself from buying the Starbucks biscotti.I left with my Iced Coffee, a grumbling tummy, and a newly found burning desire to try some good biscotti. I decided that I now had a mission to give baking biscotti a whirl in my kitchen so that I could base my judgments about it on a true homemade version. Best. Decision. Ever.

For my first round of biscotti trials I decided to play it a bit safe and go with a recipe that contained lots and lots of chocolate, because well, who doesn’t like chocolate right? That way, even if there were aspects of the biscotti I didn’t like, I would still be willing to eat it just because of the chocolate content. Genius? I think so :p

As it turned out, I needn’t have worried about not liking the biscotti, because it was just downright delicious. The crunchy exterior with a slightly softer interior that is chock full of toasted walnuts and dark chocolate chunks… homemade biscotti is seriously drool worthy. Not only does it have an irresistible texture and taste, but I also love it because it is absolutely mouthwatering to look at. I mean seriously, forget eating it – I could just stare at pictures of homemade biscotti all day.

The girl can’t help it … she’s officially obsessed! Is it weird that I just referred to myself in the third person? Yes? Okay then, moving on. No more obsessive ramblings, take this recipe and go before this post get’s any more weird 😀

Dark Chocolate Cappuccino Biscotti
Makes: 2 Biscotti Logs – about 16 pieces

Things you need… 
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4  tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

2 tbsp granulated sugar for dusting

How to make… 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper; set aside.

In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs in one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extract and beat to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, cinnamon and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Add chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chunks and mix on low to evenly distribute.

Divide the dough in half and dampen your hands with cold water. Shape each half of the dough into an inch thick log that is about 2 inched wide and 10 inches long. You can change up the dimensions depending on how long you want your pieces of biscotti to be – I like short and fat pieces of biscotti so I only make my logs about 2-3 inches wide.

Sprinkle the top of each log with 1 tbsp of granulated sugar and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the top is firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool for half an hour. Reduce the heat of your oven to 300 degrees.

Cut your biscotti into 1 inch thick pieces – you should have about 10 pieces per log. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and bake in 300 degree preheated oven for an additional 5-15 minutes depending on how crisp you like your biscotti.

Personally, I like a bit of a softer biscotti, so I typically only bake mine for an additional 5-7 minutes or so. If you prefer a crisper biscotti, bake it for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. These biscotti should last about 2 weeks if properly stored.

** This Recipe adapted from the Butter Baked Goods Book**

So if you are currently a Biscotti hater, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that it is very likely that you might just be basing your biscotti judgement on the stuff that you buy in the store or at coffee shops. So let me be the first to tell you that homemade biscotti is nothing like what they have available in stores… it is so much better! As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t even a comparison between homemade biscotti and store-bought; They are completely different.

I really encourage you to give this recipe a try if like me you are looking for a new baking adventure. The great thing about this recipe is that you can have it whipped up in literally minutes – it is so easy to make. Not to mention, you can change up the nuts for something different, you can control how crispy your biscotti gets based on time spent in the oven, and my favourite thing about biscotti, is that it is one of those amazing foods that just gets better with age. So if you pack any leftovers away in an air tight container, it will just get a bit crispier as the days go on, and you will have a delicious treat to pair with your morning or afternoon coffee for weeks.

So I think it is safe to say that I am officially in love with Biscotti. I have fallen so deeply in love with it that I will be baking up batches like a crazy woman this week and bringing them with me to the Haney Farmers Market on Saturday June 13th to sell. So if you are a Biscotti lover, make sure you stop by my booth for a free sample 🙂

Happy Biscotti Baking!

KPxoxo