Here we are with the first recipe of 2019! Say hello to espresso biscotti!
I don’t know about you guys, but having days off in the middle of the week for Christmas and New Year’s has really thrown me off. Why is it that those short weeks seem ten times longer than a regular 5 day work week?
Thankfully, espresso biscotti is a thing and while it can’t make a long week at work any shorter, it can give you something to look forward to when you take a coffee break. Coffee and biscotti are best friends and now you can get a double dose of caffeine from your drink and your snack.
We’re adding hazelnuts to this biscotti for a little extra texture. If nuts aren’t you’re thing, feel free to omit them. You do, however, want to add every single ground of espresso. We’re adding espresso mixed with some hot water with our wet ingredients and a couple of teaspoons of espresso powder with our dry ingredients.
We want our coffee and we want it now.
Traditionally, biscotti is made with regular white, granulated sugar. This time, however, we’re substituting it with light brown sugar. You’ll have to bake them slightly longer to get the traditional biscotti crunch, but it pairs so well with the espresso and hazelnuts. If you want to use white sugar, go ahead. I just like the depth the brown sugar gives these.
If you don’t think biscotti is complete without a healthy amount of chocolate either drizzled on top, you can absolutely add it. Use semisweet so the chocolate doesn’t overpower the espresso and hazelnuts. We definitely still want those flavours to shine through. The first time I made these, I added chocolate. This last time I didn’t.
There’s no right or wrong way to do this. Get baking, friends!
Happy New Year!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp. espresso powder dissolved in 1 tbsp. hot water
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 1/2 tsp. espresso powder
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a baking sheet; set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter & brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla extract, and hot water/espresso.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, espresso powder and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Gently mix in the chopped hazelnuts.
- Divide dough in half and form into long, flat loaves about 1/2" tall and 12" long. Place both loaves on prepared baking sheet, about 2" apart.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until a light golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.
- Using a serrated knife, cut into slices on a slight diagonal about 1/2" wide. Put slices on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, turning over halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- If you're adding a chocolate drizzle, place chocolate chips in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 20-30 seconds, until smooth. Drizzle the chocolate over cooled biscotti (or spread chocolate on the bottom side of each cookie). Let stand at room temperature until set.
