When I started messing around with biscotti recipes, I was struck by how straightfoward and sturdy they were, compared with other cookies. As some kind of unintentional test, perhaps, I served them alongside classic chocolate chip cookies, like the ones in the foreground of the picture above. But whereas in good old fashioned drop cookies, the soft chips disappear into the soft dough, here the melty chips make for an unusual contrast with the crisp of the espresso background. Good dipped in coffee, hot chocolate, and even tea.
From my kitchen, albeit small, to yours,
Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK
**Recipe**
Espresso Biscotti
Makes about 20 cookies
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup chocolate chips (mini if you have them)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the flour with the salt, baking powder, and cinnamon.
Stir together the butter with the sugar. Add the egg, then the espresso powder (in water), and beat to combine it all. Add the flour mixture to make a thick dough. Then, stir in the chocolate chips. Knead the whole thing together a couple times on the counter.
Form into a log, about 10-12″ long, 2-3″ wide, and about 1″ high. Bake for 25 minutes, until firm on top, then remove from the oven and cool sllightly, until you can touch the log easily.
Using a spatula, put the whole log onto a cutting board. Cut thin slices on the diagonal, about 1/3″ each, then spread them back on the baking sheet. Bake for another 20-30 minutes, flipping the biscotti once halfway through. Cool completely. Serve with coffee or wine.
