Recipe - Orange and Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Biscotti is one of those things that seems really hard until you try it and find out it's actually really easy. You can quote me on that. It's profound.  Just think of biscotti as glorified cookies with one added step.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 t. salt {double if you're using Kosher}
2 t. baking powder
Zest of one orange
3 eggs
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. orange extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips {the darker, the better}

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all of your dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Include sugar in this mix.  I know, I know.  In baking, sugar is usually a wet ingredient.

Grate the zest of one orange into your dry ingredients.

Now swoon because it is so fragrant!

Make a well in the center, and put your eggs, orange extract, and oil into it.

Time to get dirty!  Start mixing with your hand.  It really is the best way to incorporate all of the dry into the wet ingredients while ensuring that your dough doesn't get too tough.  You could use a stand mixer if you're a wimp.  Bawk bawk bawk bawk bawk BAWK!!!  Um, excuse me.  Sorry about that.  Middle School flashbacks.

Mix in your chocolate chips and form the dough into two logs on your cookie sheet.  I would have used parchment paper if I had had it.  If you don't have it, either, make sure to grease your pan or you will regret it {insert a sinister voice here}.  There's very little fat to keep these from sticking.

I would have taken a picture of how to form the logs, but this is what my hands looked like.  Just pretend it's play doh.

Bake for twenty minutes.  The biscotti will spread on the pan.  If your biscotti is still a bit doughy at this point, that's okay.  Cut it carefully on the bias with a serrated knife and lay it on its side like this.

Put it back in the oven to bake for fifteen more minutes, turning halfway through.  Place your biscotti carefully on a cooling rack until it cools {duh}.  It will become stronger {and harden} as it cools, which you want, because it needs to be able to be held and dunked and not fall apart.

I thought I had taken a cool after shot on the pretty serving platter, but apparently I didn't.  Oops! 

Biscotti makes a wonderful gift.  Or enjoy it yourself with milk, tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.  Handsome Hero and I love these with coffee or spiced tea.  Ella and Jack love them with milk and hot chocolate, or hot cocoa-tea as they call it.