05 Sep Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Orange Biscotti
Happy Friday! I’m headed to Detroit ROCK CITY on this lovely (steamy, hot) morning afternoon. Not gonna lie, I could totally get used to this 3-day work week situation. Though it has definitely resulted in a less productive me, at least where this space is concerned. So here it is, Friday, and I’m just now getting this week’s post up.
In the last seven days I’ve baked more than I have in the last two months – a few recipes to share with you guys, and a few just for fun. Apparently I missed the oven more than I realized because I turned it back on Friday and didn’t leave the kitchen until last night. (Hello weeklong battle of the air conditioner vs. the oven — not excited to see this month’s electric bill.)
Last weekend I experimented with bread making – something I’m hugely intimidated by. I started off with the basics, using Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio as a guide. While I think Michael is a pretty smart dude and most likely a fantastic maker of all kinds of breads, I was unimpressed with the resulting loaves (I made one wheat, one white). They were dense. Very, very dense. Probably more as a result of my technique than his recipe, but hey, we’re learning over here!
Then there were TWO multilayer chocolate cakes (one of which I’ll share next week), buttermilk sugar cookies and of course, these guys – Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Orange Biscotti.
As a half-blooded Italian, Steve, by default is a biscotti fan. When I made these Anise Biscotti in March he hoarded them in his office desk drawer for months, only sharing them with the most worthy of coworkers. (He is also a sweets hoarder and apparently immune to stale cookies.) Since then I’ve been promising I’d make more (in another variety because this food blogging thing means always with the new flavors), and while it may have taken six months, here you go, honey!
I’ve been a little, erm, obsessed with hazelnuts lately — to the point where I’m picking them out of the shared mixed nuts at the office. It’s a problem. So obvi, when choosing a nut to include in these biscotti, I went straight for hazelnuts. After roasting they have such a tender, satisfying crunch I just can’t resist. The addition of orange zest imparts a sweet citrus note with a hint of floral depth and it’s all tied together with a good swim in bitter, melted chocolate. The end result is very grown-up tasting, espresso-loving cookie. And since I’m a grown up and can eat cookies whenever I want, I eat these biscotti for breakfast, dessert and to satisfy chocolate cravings any time in-between. Which is pretty much always.
Side note: The inside of my purse wants me to tell you that the melty chocolate doesn’t make these the best plane snack.
Anyway, I’m off to Motown for a family-packed celebration of my Aunt & Uncle’s 50th Wedding Anniversary. (50 years!! Seriously they deserve a tax break or a meet & greet with Beyonce or something.) I’m going to put on a sweater since it’s under 80 degrees there then sing Temptations songs for the remainder of the plane ride. Post arrival I’m planning on a weekend of vodka martinis (extra dirty for me, please!) and rides in Uncle Jim’s 1963 Corvette. But not at the same time, of course.
Have a great weekend!
Recipe adapted from The North End Italian Cookbook.
A Few Notes About this Recipe:
Note that the original recipe called for only 2 cups of flour, but I’ve adjusted because I ended up adding almost 3 ½ cups to get the dough firm enough to work with. It’s been pretty humid in Austin so you may not need to add as much. Just make sure the dough can be molded and isn’t so sticky that it sticks to your hands while kneading.
To toast and skin whole hazelnuts, place whole nuts on a baking sheet or in metal pan and cook in a 350F degree oven for 12-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. They’re done when you can smell them and the skin is crackled and glistening. Remove from oven, pour nuts into a kitchen towel and let cool for 5 -10 minutes. Then bundle the towel up tightly and rub vigorously. Most of the skin will come off in little flakes.
XO, Katie
Ingredients
- 3 - 3 1/2 cups flour plus more for kneading
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs, well beaten
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 orange zested
- 1 1/2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together eggs, sugar, melted butter, orange zest, juice and vanilla extract on medium speed.
- Add in the dry mixture into egg mixture and mix on slow speed until smooth and firm. Add more flour if dough is too soft to handle. (You should expect this.)
- Remove from mixer onto floured board or counter. Gently knead dough, adding more flour as needed.
- Knead in the hazelnuts until mixed evenly throughout the dough.
- Cut dough into three parts and place onto lined cookie sheet. Form into three log shapes, each about 6" long, flatten slightly.
- Bake in hot oven for 25-30 minutes or until light golden, with cookie sheet in the middle rack, watching carefully for burning bottoms.
- Remove and cool loaves on a wire rack for 5 minutes - but leave your oven on. Then, while still warm slice them into half-inch slices, using a serrated knife.
- Place the slices back onto the baking sheet and return to oven and bake at 350º for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
- Remove from oven once desired doneness is achieved and let cool.
- Once cool, microwave chocolate and coconut oil together in 30 second intervals, stirring well, until melted. Dip biscotti into melted chocolate, using a spoon if needed to coat half of the cookie. Place on a cooling rack and garnish with chopped hazelnuts while the chocolate is still wet. Let harden on rack then transfer to an air tight container.
- Biscotti will keep 2 weeks or more in an air tight container.
Karen - 2Teaspoons
Posted at 11:15h, 06 SeptemberThese biscotti’s look incredible! My in-laws love to have biscotti’s around on Christmas morning. I’ll totally pass this recipe along to them and of course test it out a couple of times myself 🙂 Have fun in MoTown!
Karen – 2Teaspoons recently posted…Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting
KWahlman
Posted at 18:18h, 07 SeptemberThanks, Karen! Hope the in-laws approve 🙂
Alexandra @ Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker
Posted at 15:28h, 06 SeptemberThese sound amazing!!! I haven’t made biscotti in ages and now I’m wondering why… And the flavor combo – orange, hazelnuts, and dark chocolate?! Yesyesyes 🙂
Alexandra @ Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker recently posted…Let’s Get Cookin’: Healthy Southwestern Quinoa
Jessica @ Sweet Menu
Posted at 18:12h, 07 SeptemberOooh these look just lovely! How delicious!
Jessica @ Sweet Menu recently posted…Homemade Twix Bars
Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com
Posted at 00:27h, 08 SeptemberFirst of all, biscotti BARELY count as a cookie so of course they’re a good any time snack! Breakfast, dessert, elevenses…biscotti are welcome any time! Second of all, I’m obsessed with hazelnuts too, and would totally pick them out of the communal mixed nuts! These look so, so awesome!
Shashi @ RunninSrilankan
Posted at 11:53h, 09 SeptemberYour photos are gorgeous! Love the combination of orange and chocolate!!
Die Glücklichmacherei
Posted at 12:06h, 11 Septemberhey katie! i just found your blog – awesome! the pictures are really beautiful! would you mind telling me what size your pictures are?
for now i have to look for hazelnuts in my pantry…
Die Glücklichmacherei recently posted…Es herbstelt 〖Schokoladen-Sirup〗
KWahlman
Posted at 13:04h, 11 SeptemberHi Nadin! Thank you so much for your kind words!! The vertical images are 676×975 and the horizontal ones are just a standard 5×7 measurement.