Nutella Biscotti

 Mmmm. My whole house smells like warm, baking nutella thanks to these yummy biscotti. And they don't even have any Nutella in them!

This recipe was my first attempt at biscotti. Its not something I eat all the time, just occasionally. This is probably due to the fact that its hardly ever freshly made biscotti, but rather the kind in plastic wrap sitting next to the cash register at the coffee shop. That doesn't really appeal to me. Also, its usually chalk full o' nuts, which I also don't like. Its not that I don't like nuts exactly, but I don't really love them. So I usually avoid them, especially in desserts, and always request "no nuts" and always pass up the dessert with the nuts in them. But, I was having a crazy chocolate biscotti craving the other day, and it seems you can't really make biscotti without nuts.*

I want to say I got this recipe from Cookie Madness, but I can't say for sure. You know what, actually, I think I got it from Pioneer Woman. Whatever. I DO know that, as per usual, I made a bunch of modifications to the original recipe. I used sliced almonds, with a very few pecans in place of "chopped nuts" which made them tastier to me, a non-nut person. I also used whole wheat flour in place of all purpose, and I added a generous tsp. of Hazelnut syrup, the kind you put in your coffee, to the recipe too, to give them the Nutella-y flavor.

Chocolate Nutella-y Biscotti

2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbs. cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 stick unsalted butter

1 c. sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. sliced almonds (or 1 c. chopped nuts, if you like that sort of thing)

4 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Beat butter and sugar together until pale, about two minutes, may be crumbly. Scrape down sides of bowl, add eggs and vanilla, beat two more minutes.
3. Sift in dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until dough forms. Mix in nuts and chocolate. Knead any unmixed ingredients in.
4. Divide dough in half. Roll into 12" long logs. Flatten with your hand so they are 1" x 2" x 12"
5. Place on baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar (in my chocolate biscotti craving frenzy, I forgot this step)
6. Bake 25 min
7. Cool for 20 min
8. Cut each log into 1/2-3/4" thick slices; stand them up on baking sheet. Bake again 10 min ok, I didn't get this "stand them up" direction. The only flat surface my biscotti had were the edges where I cut them, and putting them on those sides wasn't "standing them up" but laying them down. So I just spread the slices around the baking sheet, and everything came out fine.
9. Cool on a rack and ENJOY! 

Again, I froze the leftovers, and ate them for a few days. Then I served them to my family for Easter (big hit) and sent the extras with my brother. He is a swimmer at a DI school, and eats like it. I think he was a little overwhelmed by all the baked goods I sent with him. My mom always makes baked goods for him and the team after meets too, so its not like he's not used to it.

 

*That's crap. Of course you can make biscotti without nuts. And I now have a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookie biscotti, which I'm super psyched about trying, but found after I made these, and wouldn't have satisfied my chocolate biscotti craving anyways. If I had had better chocolate chips lying around, I wouldn't have made these with nuts.