Crisp and crunchy rich cocoa biscotti with roasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate chips all dipped in more dark chocolate. These are great for any day of the week with a cup of coffee, and especially perfect for the holidays!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Tender and crisp texture: these crisp and crunchy biscotti have a tender bite and are NOT hard. Biscotti should not break your teeth if made properly, and biscotti are delicious just like decadent gooey chocolate chip cookies can be (well, they come close!). Yes, they're lower in sugar and lower in fat, but they shall not be lower in flavor.
• Double chocolate biscotti: Use Dutch cocoa powder for a nice dark color and smooth chocolate taste in the cookie dough plus dark chocolate chips. Then they're dipped in more chocolate!
• Roasted hazelnuts: roasting the hazelnuts first adds SO much flavor to these biscotti. The intensity of the roast on these hazelnuts is what makes this recipe magic. And when you bite in, the combination of deep roasted hazelnut, dark chocolate and intensely cocoa-y yet just-sweet-enough cookie will make your eyebrows raise.

Ingredients

• 1 ⅔ cups 235g all-purpose flour
• ½ cup 42g Dutch process cocoa powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup 125g dark chocolate chips
• ¾ cup 95g whole roasted hazelnuts
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 10g packed dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup 50g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon 5ml pure vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup 75g unsalted butter, melted
• 5 oz 142g dark chocolate coarsely chopped for dipping

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift in cocoa powder and whisk to blend evenly.
• In a medium bowl, whisk eggs to blend evenly. Gradually stream in sugar while whisking constantly until smooth and lightened by a shade. Whisk in vanilla extract and melted butter.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients in the large bowl and pour in the egg mixture. Stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until most of the flour is absorbed. Fold in chocolate chips and hazelnuts. The dough will be stiff and a bit sticky but not wet. Use your hands to incorporate the nuts and bring the dough together if necessary.
• Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 10-inch log. Flatten it down to about 2 inches wide and place onto prepared baking tray. Bake for about 25 minutes until puffed, shiny and slightly cracked at the surface.
• Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let biscotti log cool on the pan for at least 30 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
• Transfer the log to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to slice them diagonally on a sharp angle at about ¾-inch increments with a gentle sawing motion. Place cookies back onto the baking sheet so that they are sitting right-side-up and bake for 10-15 minutes until dry and crisp. Let cookies cool completely.
• Melt dark chocolate gently in the microwave (20 second bursts and frequent stirring) or over a double boiler until smooth and glossy and then dip each cookie into melted chocolate. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet to set before storing.

Notes

• For a richer flavor, you can add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon or nutmeg to the dry ingredients.
• For a spiced twist, consider adding dried cranberries or orange zest.
• Chocolate-dipped biscotti: Dip the ends in melted dark chocolate after the second bake and allow it to set.

Recipe from Scientifically Sweet