The Biscotti Experience

Recently, I had the experience of making homemade biscotti for the very first time.  While I love biscotti, this isn’t something that I would normally make for myself, and hasn’t been on the top of my list of things to try baking.  So why did I try making it?  Well, this semester in school, I’m in a food writing class, which entails – you guess it – writing various pieces of ‘creative writing’ about food and our experiences with food.  While my first piece had nothing to do with biscotti, part of the assignment lies in bringing a tasty treat for the entire class to indulge in while the class discusses your own piece of writing.  So, when my turn came around, my Dad suggested making the biscotti.  Eager to try something new, I jumped in.

The Recipe: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

10 tbs unsalted butter

2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

2 ¾ tsp baking powder

½ teaspoon fine salt

3 large eggs

1 ¼ cups sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

½ cup smooth natural peanut butter, room temperature

1 ¼ cups dry unsalted roasted peanuts

1 ¼ chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks (about  6 oz)

1.      Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper

2.      Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally.  Continue to cook until the butter browns and gets a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes.  Let cool slightly.

3.      Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

4.      Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar while beating. Then slowly add the butter and vanilla until evenly mixed, about 30 seconds more. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.

5.      While mixing slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 2 additions, mixing just until absorbed. Fold in the peanuts and chocolate pieces.

6.      Divide the dough evenly into thirds, and put each portion in the center of a baking sheet. Shape the dough with slightly wet hands into logs about 2-inches wide and 15 inches long. Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. (For even baking take care to rotate the pans-- top to bottom and front to back--about half way though.) Cool logs on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes.

7.      Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut logs crosswise, with a long serrated knife at about a 45 degree angle, into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Cool biscotti on the baking sheets. Serve.

8.      Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

     Now this recipe is fairly simple to make, although it may seem really complicated upon the first read-through.  But, the first time I made it, I made quite a big mistake.  When making these biscotti, what is kind of a big part to it?  Yup, I forgot to add the peanut butter.  So, I ended up having to make an entire second batch of biscotti with the peanut butter to fix my error.  But, overall, these cookies are absolutely delicious and really easy to make and I would highly recommend them for anyone who loves the peanut butter and chocolate combination and loves biscotti as a nice treat!  Happy Baking!

                                                                                                -Allison