Chocolate Taralli

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F with the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Sift the cocoa over the dry ingredients. Add the anise seeds, and stir well.
3. Pour the extra-virgin olive oil and white wine over the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula to moisten the mixture. Turn out onto a clean pastry board or work surface. Knead the dough for a minute or two until it is smooth.
4. Put the ⅓ cup of granulated sugar for coating the taralli into a shallow dish. Reserve.
5. Working with roughly a heaping tablespoon of dough at a time, roll the dough, first between your hands and then on a clean, unfloured work surface, into a rope about ¼-inch thick and 5 inches long. If the dough is sticking to your hands or the surface, lightly coat your hands with olive oil. This should help. Make a ring, pinching the ends of the rope together gently. Place the ring on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have used all of the dough.
6. When you have finished shaping the rings, turn them over onto the dish of granulated sugar one at a time, moving them around to lightly coat the top and sides of the cookies before replacing them on the baking sheets.
7. Bake for about 25 minutes, turning the baking sheets around from back to front and switching their positions on the top and bottom oven racks after the first 15 minutes.
8. Remove the baking sheets to cooling racks and let the cookies cool completely.
9. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
10. To make the chocolate sauce, cut the chocolate into small chunks and place in a small Pyrex mixing bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat to just below the boil. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Stir well until all the chocolate has melted. Stir in the honey. Serve warm in small dipping bowls with the taralli.