Biscotti Blitz

Biscotti and coffee go together like a wink and a smile.

Biscotti, an oblong shaped, crunchy cookie that originated from Prato in Tuscany has hundreds of flavours and variations to date. The popular biscottis are baked with dried cranberry, lemon and orange zest, cinnamon, raisins, miniature dark and white chocolate chips, allspice and toasted nuts. Biscotti is so delightfully crunchy that it should be dipped in coffee, latte, espresso and even vino for maximum pleasure.

This particular recipe beats other biscotti flavours I've tried.

Brownie Biscotti

1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened coca powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Grease baking sheets,or line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, crea together the butter and sugar until sooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking powder, stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Dough will be stiff, so mix in the last bit by hand. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
3. Divide dough into the two equal parts. Shape into 9x2x1 inch loaves. Place onto baking sheet 4 inches apart. Brush with mixture of water and olk.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm. Cool on baking sheet for 39 minutes.
5. Using a serrated knife slice the loaves diagonally into 1 inch slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet placing them on their sides. Bake for 10 to 15 monutes on each side, or until dry. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.