Goodness me, where did December go?
It didn't really hit me that Christmas is around the corner until I recorded my out-of-office greeting on my work phone. (Isn't that just the most satisfying feeling in the world? It is to me, anyways... it feels like hitting the official "play" button on my vacation time.)
Tonight we pack up our stuff and hit the road to spend a few days of our holiday break with my family.
The forecast for Montreal is currently calling for cold and crisp weather, which means I'm packing a pig pile of knitting and a couple of good books to keep me occupied indoors. I may be Canadian born and bred, but I've never been a fan of cold temperatures. (I guess it's those Southern European genes kicking in.)
Before I go, though, I'm sharing my recipe for Cappuccino Biscotti from this year's holiday bake-a-thon. They're one of my favourite biscotti concoctions - dense, crunchy cookie slices laced with a sweet cappuccino-inspired blend of coffee, cinnamon and chocolate
They're a little sweeter than my usual biscotti, mostly because I opted to use milk chocolate chips, since bittersweet chocolate didn't feel quite right in this context. Thankfully, a big handful of toasted walnuts adds a slight hint of bitter that cuts through all that sweetness, and adds another level of crunch.
Obviously, there's no better accompaniment for these crisp cookies than a big, frothy cappuccino, a comfy chair and someone special to snuggle with (either of the four-legged or two-legged variety) when you can find a quiet moment to unwind after all that holiday madness.
And speaking of quiet moments to unwind... I'll be taking a short break for the next few days to celebrate Christmas with my family.
Wishing you and yours a very, very happy holiday season full of good eats, good company and good times. See you on the flipside!
//
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Cappuccino Biscotti
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 40 1x
Description
A crisp cappuccino-scented cookie dotted with milk chocolate chips and chopped walnuts that's sure to please any coffee-lover in your life.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp instant coffee granules
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp coffee liqueur (optional)
- Egg wash (1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tbsp milk)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, coffee granules, cinnamon and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture is fine and crumbly.
- Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts, eggs and coffee liqueur (if using) until the dough is just barely moistened. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, about 8-10 times.
- Using floured hands, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a 9" long roll. Place two rolls 4 inches apart on each of the prepared cookie sheets, gently flattening each one into a 2" wide slab. Brush the top and sides of each log with egg wash.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the top of the slabs feels firm and dry. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Set the slabs on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Once the slabs are cool enough to handle, cut crosswise into into ½" thick slices. Place slices upright, ¼ inch apart, on cookie sheets.
- Place the slices on the baking sheet, cut sides down, and return to the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over, and continue baking for another 10 minutes (the cookies should be just a bit soft in the center – don’t worry, they’ll harden up once they cool). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then store in airtight containers.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
Roshan says
This is one of my most favorite biscotti recipes. I always make a double batch of dough and keep it in the freezer and bake off one roll at at time. Thank you.
★★★★★
AC says
I make these every year around Christmas! Being Italian, biscotti are a no brainer to have around the house throughout the seasons but these ones truly take the cake. Thank you for a lovely recipe.
★★★★★
Booboo says
I love biscotti but not with chocolate, however I was drawn into this recipe because of the coffee in it. Wow! It’s great. I also omitted the brown sugar, dusted the top with vanilla sugar and I roasted the nuts before mixing them in. I only had semisweet chips and they were mini chips so they were perfect for me! Thank you!
Marianne Inati says
Made these biscotti today and they turned out perfect, I did have some trouble though with the hatred being extremely sticky and not workable. I added about another cup of flour and I was then able to mould the logs. What a delicious tasting biscotti, I used XO Patron, a top shelf coffee liqueur but I only added 1tbs, think I’ll add the 2tbs the recipe calls for next time. Thanks for an amazing recipe.
Isabelle Boucher says
Thanks for the feedback, Marianne. I'm glad they worked out with the extra flour. Patron sounds like an amazing addition, though I have to admit I'd much rather drink it straight and enjoy the biscotti on the side! ;)
Robbie says
Love, love, love this recipe. I’ve now made it many times. The only thing I do different is I use 2 teaspoons of instant coffee granules, and a drizzle of leftover coffee from the pot in place of the liqueur, as I am unable to get that.
Lina says
Seriously delicious cookies!!! I omitted the 1/2 cup brown sugar and sprinkled sanding sugar on top of the egg wash. So, so good! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kukxansari Patisserie says
I made these biscotti with pistachio and they taste great.
Billie says
A little more complicated then other recipes but the cane out great! Cooked them a little less in the time! Will make again!
★★★★
Diane says
just made this today and OMG is it ever good. yes the dough is wet but what you people need to get is a biscotti baking pan. yes the dough spreads but with the pan it is perfect and I made only one loaf. I usually stick with a recipe when making it for the first time but I could not see putting all that sugar in and I opted to use only 1/2 cup of white sugar and they are just right. Baked for 30 min at 350, cooled and then 12 min for second baking. They turned out perfect thank you for the recipe.
Shiny says
Hello,
Can you use Kahlua as coffee liqueur?
Isabelle Boucher says
Absolutely! Kahlua is probably the most obvious choice - I just left it generic because there are several other brands out there that would also work just fine. :)
B. Scott says
These turned out fantastic. And I learned from experience not to make on rainy days.. they just don’t work out. They are a little more labor intensive then some but well worth it.
★★★★★
Janet says
Great taste, but dough was very wet and so logs spread - didn’t hold shape. Maybe add another 1/4 c flour?
★★★★
Bonnie says
These are delicious! I made my first batch last week and mixing up another batch today. I "did" cut the baking time a little for both bakes. The dough was very sticky to work with easily so I kneaded in a little more flour and refrigerated it for awhile before baking. Flavor is out of this world.
Kathy says
I made these cookies for Christmas. They are the absolute bomb. My new favorite!
★★★★★
Donna says
I've made these a few times. Always come out wonderfully! I used the coffee liqueur and it gives the biscotti great authentic Italian flavor. I am Italian, and this recipe is up there with my favorites!
★★★★★
Sharon says
I made these today and they did not come out well. I think the time they are in the oven is too long. They were burnt on the bottom. Most biscotti is only in the oven less then 20 minutes, then sliced after cooking, then back in the oven for about 10 minutes per side. These were 30 minutes then 10 and 10. Too long at 350. Might try again and start out at maybe 15 minutes then 10 minutes per side. So if anyone is making these watch the time they're in the oven. Check after the first 15 minutes!
Isabelle Boucher says
Thanks for the feedback, Sharon. I'm very sorry these didn't work out for you. It's very frustrating when that happens. :(
When I first made these, I didn't realise the oven I was using to test my recipes was usually off by about 25C from what it should be. I've been meaning to come back and re-test some of my older recipes to make sure they work as written, but it's slow going. I'll put this one at the top of the to-do pile based on your comment.
PS: You can use a grater to shave off the burnt bits if you want to rescue this batch!
Ann says
The biscotti recipe I have seen recently had oven temp of 300°
Sharon says
Ann wish I would have seen your comment before I baked mine. And anyone here fro Colorado? I'm still not sure how to bake here I'm from Pa. And I got a gas oven and not sure If I'm good with it yet I've always had electric. And I hope there better in the morning with coffee.
Crista says
I wanted to try out this recipe, but I'm curious..how did this come out with less time in the oven?
Isabelle Boucher says
Hi Crista... my kitchen has been under renovations and is several months behind schedule (aaargh!), but I'm hoping to have my oven back within the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if you do want to try the recipe, just check on the cookies at the 20 and 25 minute mark during the first bake, and pull them out as soon as they look lightly browned and dry on top.
Baking time can vary drastically from one oven to the next anyway, so it's always best to treat baking times as a guideline rather than an exact measure, hence why I usually provide a description of what kind of consistency/colour/etc you're looking for to tell if something is done.
Adrianna says
I turned the oven temperature to 300 and baked it for about 25-30 min and then 10 min on each side and they came out perfect! As I too had the same experience at 350. Hope this helps!
★★★★★
Kelsey A. says
Any idea how long this biscotti is good in an air tight container?
Have it In the oven now and can't wait to try it!
Isabelle Boucher says
Good question, Kelsey! Biscotti are very low-moisture, so they keep surprisingly long if you store them properly using an airtight container in a cool, dry spot. You should be able to keep them for about 4-6 weeks using this technique, but in my house they're usually long gone by then. :)
Bonnie says
They were so delicious that I had to put them in the freezer so that I didn't eat them all and that my sons would get some over the holidays. LOL
Chung-Ah @ Damn Delicious says
I have a thing for biscotti and I love anything coffee-flavored so you could imagine how excited I am to make these! Thanks for sharing!!
★★★★★
The Flourista says
My tea&coffee loving family and friends would love these biscotti. Thanks for sharing! :)
Sheelagh@anirishvillagepantry says
Wow, these sound and look utterly divine and so simple to make! Have never made biscotti but this shall be rectified this week. Thank you and beautiful blog :-)
cat @ neohomesteading.co says
I've only made one type of biscotti. This sounds delightful and far from the usual peanut recipe I make. Delicious!
Tiffany says
Where did December AND 2011 go? And LOVELY biscotti! I hope you had a Merry Christmas!
Laura @ A Healthy Jalapeño says
wow these look delicious and perfectly dunkable! Love it.
Ita-liana says
yum, what a great biscotti combo! chocolate chips and walnuts my favorite...and coffee....heavenly! must try after I get out of this holiday induced food coma! and thank you for the shout out to your readers re Aurora's Recipideo Roundup!! Can't wait for your contribution! Have a wonderful holiday and Cheers!!
Danielle says
I was looking for a treat to make for this weekend and these look perfect. I just printed out the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Beth Michelle says
Have a wonderful holiday break! Your biscotti looks wonderful!
Natalie says
Have a Fabulous Foodie Festive Season Isabelle!! I'm jealous of your snow, the nearest we get to a white christmas is the icing sugar!! Enjoy x
Parsley Sage says
Ohmigoodness, that looks so delicious! Perfectly comforting and a great indulgence after that out-of-office recording. I need some of this biscotti :)
Happy holidays! Buzzed
★★★★★
Deanna B. says
I love biscotti. My grandma used to make great ones, but then she started cutting out the butter and sugar and now its just not right.