At our house we like biscotti with a good cup of coffee. In Berkeley (where the freshly roasted coffee craze began in the mid-sixties) there are lots of options for coffee, but nowhere compares to the perfectly made, and perfectly presented, lattes and espressos at Bartavelle Café. To best show off these chocolate biscotti I knew that Bartavelle was the place to go. On a sunny afternoon, when the café was quiet, we took a couple of pictures. Their coffee is as photogenic as it is delicious, and made a gorgeous backdrop. After the photographs were taken we put away our biscotti props and ordered our favorite avocado toast with pickled vegetables.
One way to get honest feedback about something you’ve made is to secretly watch from afar. I tested this method by bringing a plate of these biscotti to a meeting and having someone else place the platter on the table. I stayed at the back of the room. A few people took a cookie right away. Then a buzz began in the room as people took their first bite and smiled. By then the meeting had begun, and late comers had to figure out a way to sneak to the table unnoticed.
One by one people reached for their invisibility cloaks and tip toed to the table for a taste. Others inched along the wall to the table, just close enough to grab one more cookie from the disappearing pile. Seeing a room full of chocolate lipped biscotti eaters is a sight to behold. If the Multigrain and Seed Biscotti are the chameleon cookie, these are the stealth bomber cookie. A chocolate explosion of the best kind.
These cookies are not the dry crunchy biscotti you find on a shelf at the grocery store. They are brownies disguised as biscotti–moist and desserty. Because they are full of cocoa powder, cranberries, and chocolate chunks they remain somewhat soft and delightfully chewy, even after a long second bake. I often do a shorter second bake to keep them even moister. Except for their shape, I wouldn’t really call them biscotti at all. They are the perfect accompaniment to a good strong cup of coffee, or an ice cold glass of milk. Maybe a better name for them would be Twice Baked Brownies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (4 oz.) dried cranberries
- 2 cups (8 ½ oz.) toasted pistachios
- 1 ¾ cups (8 ¾ oz.) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cup (14 oz.) brown sugar
- ½ cup (3 ½ oz.) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (3 oz.) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons (2 oz.) softened butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 7 ½ oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugars, cocoa, salt, and baking soda and mix to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the butter and vanilla extract and mix to combine. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the pistachios, chocolate chunks, and cranberries. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Wet your hands to keep the dough from sticking to them. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form the pieces into 2 logs and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until firm. Cool completely.
Reheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Use a serrated knife to slice the log into ¼ inch slices. Place the sliced biscotti on a parchment lined baking sheet cut side down. Bake in the oven for about an hour until firm and crisp. OR bake for less time (or not at all) if you like a softer cookie. A shorter bake will mean the cookies won’t stay fresh for as long, but they will be delicious.
Store biscotti in an airtight container. They also freeze well.
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