Merciful God, You are great in compassion and Your tenderness for us is without measure. We ask You to give us today our daily bread, and also provide for the needs of all of Your hungry children around the world. Through Christ Your Son and Our Lord. Amen.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Chocolate Chip Biscotti




Thinking about Jane's Virtual Cookie Swap, I couldn't decide which cookie to bake and photograph. Which is my family's favorite? Of course, there is the kids' favorite, Frosted Sugar Cookies, and then there is the adult favorite, probably Chocolate Crinkles or Gingersnaps. But which one is
everyone's favorite? I finally decided on the Chocolate Chip Biscotti. They almost always go first. The grown ups like them because they are biscotti, and go great with a cup of coffee or maybe Candy Cane Lane. And the kids love them because they are chocolate chip. And unlike a true biscotti, they are not need-to-dunk hard. They have more fat in them than a traditional biscotti, so while they hold their traditional biscotti shape, they crunch a little softer. (Granny won't have any trouble with these either.)

At Christmas, I sprinkle these with colored sugar, for effect. And you can vary the flavor with other ingredients. Instead of chocolate, you might use dried fruit (but why would you?). Or instead of chocolate you might use nuts (but why would you?). Or instead of chocolate you might use red and green M&Ms (well, they are still chocolate). You can also vary the flavor of the dough. For this batch I added the zest of half an orange, for just a hint of orange flavor. You could also use 1/4 t. of real orange extract, or go a different route and add 1/4 t. peppermint extract.

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
3 eggs
3 cups flour
2 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
1 t. vanilla
½ cup chocolate chips

Mix oil and sugar with a wooden spoon.
Stir in eggs, one at a time.
Add flour, baking powder and salt.
Stir in vanilla and chips.
Refrigerate for one hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease two cookie sheets.
Cut dough into four parts and form each into a 10-inch log
(I do this right on the baking sheet).
Place two logs on each sheet; sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 20 minutes.
Cool; cut into 3/4-inch slices.
Arrange cut side down and bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown,
flip if necessary to get golden on both sides.
Cool completely.

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3 comments:

Unknown said...

Okay, that looks and sounds delicious. (I'm with the kids on loving the chocolate chips!)

Eileen said...

I'm so glad you described these--I'm usually not a fan of biscotti because I don't like the super hardness. I'll have to try this one--you really can't go wrong with chocolate chips! Your other Christmas Cookie recipes look pretty inviting, too.

I love the name of your blog, by the way.

And I'll be coming back to check out your crock pot recipes--I actually have been looking for a few more of those! :)

Warmly,
Eileen

Anonymous said...

Ok, I am totally making these!