Chocolate-Mint Biscotti
Makes 2 1/2 dozen biscotti or Serves 30 (1 cookie per serving)
I make classic, no-butter biscotti that are crisp, but not tooth-shattering; my husband doesn't drink coffee, so he likes cookies he doesn't have to dunk first. These follow a basic formula I've seen in a variety of recipes: 2 eggs and 1 cup sugar to 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder. From there, the flavor variations are endless. These biscotti will keep for weeks in an airtight container.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (packed) whole mint leaves (or chocolate mint leaves, if you can find them)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Grind sugar and mint leaves in a food processor for 30 seconds. Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in eggs and vanilla until blended. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Fold this with chocolate chips into egg mixture with a rubber spatula until incorporated. Dough will be sticky.
3. Divide dough in half. Wet your hands and shake them off, but don't dry them. On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, press each half into a log that measures about 11 inches long by 2 inches wide; press down on top until the log is 1/2-inch high. Leave about 2 inches between logs.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven; lower heat to 325š. Cool pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Transfer logs to a cutting board and cut crosswise with a serrated knife into 3/4-inch slices. Return slices, standing up, to the parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced slightly apart. Bake 15 minutes more, until crisp. Transfer to racks to cool.
Desserts from an Herb Garden (St. Martin's Press) by Sharon Kebschull Barrett.