Chocolate

Mom's Perfect Chocolate Biscotti

by:
December  9, 2013
0
0 Ratings
Mom's Perfect Chocolate Biscotti
  • Makes 1 batch
Author Notes

Made the way the Italians do -- no butter or oil. Crunchy, chocolately, perfect. —Posie (Harwood) Brien

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-2 cups toasted chopped nuts (pecans are best)
Directions
  1. Warm eggs (in hot water, uncracked) until lukewarm.
  2. Then mix the eggs with the sugar in a stand mixer on high speed until at least doubled in volume (about 5 minutes). It should form very thick ribbons when the beater is lifted. Gently fold in vanilla.
  3. Sift combined flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder over batter and fold in. Fold in nuts.
  4. Form into two "loaves" on a cookie sheet, about 3-4 inches wide and 1 inch tall. (Helps to use wet hands.)
  5. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (until loaves just spring back). Let cool a bit (or all the way).
  6. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and put the slices on their side on 2 cookie sheets, and put sheets into a turned-off 350 oven until they are dry and crisp. (You can leave them in as long as you want since oven is off.)
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  • gardeningal
    gardeningal
  • Cara Ricci
    Cara Ricci
  • Vivian Henoch
    Vivian Henoch
  • Posie (Harwood) Brien
    Posie (Harwood) Brien

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8 Reviews

gardeningal
gardeningal January 19, 2016
Thank you for sharing your special recipe. Looks yummy! I am trying this today. I am bringing whatever is left to a dinner at a friends' house, with some wine. Maybe I should make 2 batches...?
 
Cara R.
Cara R. December 10, 2015
I just made this and the "dough" is like brownie batter. I added about a half cup extra flour and called it a day....I'm afraid to look I'm the oven because the "loaves" didn't want to stay in form.
 
Posie (.
Posie (. December 10, 2015
Yep, it's a really loose batter. You just have to do the best you can to mound it into shape and also, it's really REALLY crucial that you beat the eggs and sugar for 10 minutes. That gives the batter structure, and then when you fold in the dry ingredients, be very gentle to avoid deflating all that air you worked into the batter. The long beating time makes all the difference in keeping the batter from being too liquidy.
 
Vivian H.
Vivian H. December 17, 2014
No butter. . . so that's the secret. I make biscotti- or mandel bread - almost every week. Oil for the mandlebread and butter for the biscotti. Still in search of my grandmother's perfect recipe. Will try yours.
 
Posie (.
Posie (. December 17, 2014
Hope you like them! The one thing that it took me awhile to master is making sure you REALLY whip the eggs and sugar together (five minutes minimum of beating), and then be very, very gentle when mixing and pouring/shaping the batter so you don't deflate all the air you've whipped in.
 
Triptotown
Triptotown October 30, 2014
Posie! Thank you for being so generous to share your Moms special recipe! I will be making these tomorrow! So happy!
 
ktr
ktr October 30, 2014
If I want to make non-chocolate biscotti, do I just leave the cocoa powder out? Or do I need to add something else in to make up the volume?
 
Posie (.
Posie (. October 31, 2014
There are a few tweaks! You add more flour, omit baking soda, and add some flavoring. Recipe is here! https://food52.com/recipes/31770-classic-almond-biscotti