Coffee At Our Place: Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Last week as we were shopping Costco at lunchtime, we of course stopped at the sample stations for "appetizers". The children adored a little biscotti they got to taste and though I wouldn't buy it for them, I promised we could try to make it.

Here's what I came up with and we enjoyed it over coffee with Crystal and Ruth from the ship. We gobbled up the leftovers too quickly the next day. I can't wait to make it again!

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

1/2 oil

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract (or 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur)

3 1/4 cup flour*

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup roughly chopped almonds

Semi-sweet or dark chocolate (about half a bag of chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease cookie sheet.

2. In a medium bowl, beat together first four ingredients until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add more flour if necessary until it is a dough that will hold its shape on the cookie pan. Fold in almonds. Form into the shape of a log the length of the cookie pan. Press down to 1 inch thickness.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove log carefully and cool on wire rack. When cool enough to handle, slice crosswise into 1/2 to 1 inch slices (you'll need to use a large sharp knife to cut through almond pieces without the cookie crumbling). Place the slices, sides down, on the baking sheet and toast in oven 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Biscotti should be toasty and crispy, not soft like other cookies.

4. Melt chocolate in a shallow bowl in microwave in 10-20 second increments, stirring each time, until completely melted. Dip biscotti in chocolate and place on cooling rack. Chill in freezer or fridge for a few minutes to harden chocolate.

*I used organic soft white wheat ground on pastry setting. I am unsure of the exact amount because I walked away from the table while Hannah was helping me count out flour cups to tend to the baby. When I returned, there was more flour in the bowl, but we are not sure how much :)

Don't you love the ample use of the word "log" in this post? And that I managed to avoid making inappropriate jokes while we were discussing food?