The first biscotti I ever made was during my years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Göyçay, Azerbaijan. My sitemate-turned-sister is a coffee fiend, sometimes making a French press three times a day! So I began looking for a way to enhance our cherished coffee dates together. I tried this recipe and quickly found it was an unbeatable biscotti recipe, and very difficult to mess up.
If you don't like chocolate or hazelnuts (which would be a shame), you can easily manipulate this recipe to a more favorable biscotti! It is that versatile. Cut out the cocoa and hazelnuts, and replace with the zest and juice of one orange and throw in 1 cup of cranberries, and you've got yourself Orange Cranberry Biscotti. What about Dried Cherry and Almond Biscotti? Just add 1 cup cherries, the zest of one lemon and replace the hazelnuts with almonds. Like the recipe but prefer double chocolate? Add in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
If you don't like chocolate or hazelnuts (which would be a shame), you can easily manipulate this recipe to a more favorable biscotti! It is that versatile. Cut out the cocoa and hazelnuts, and replace with the zest and juice of one orange and throw in 1 cup of cranberries, and you've got yourself Orange Cranberry Biscotti. What about Dried Cherry and Almond Biscotti? Just add 1 cup cherries, the zest of one lemon and replace the hazelnuts with almonds. Like the recipe but prefer double chocolate? Add in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract or bean paste
3 eggs
2 1/2-2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. In large bowl, combine sugar and oil; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Add flour, cinnamon, cocoa and baking powder; mix well. Stir in toasted hazelnuts.
2. Shape dough into a 10-inch log. Flatten each until 3 inches wide.
3. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until firm when touched in center.
4. Cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes. With serrated knife, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices.
5. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same cookie sheet.
6. Return to oven; bake 10 minutes. Turn slices over; bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until cut sides are crisp. Cool 10 minutes. Enjoy with coffee!
Adapted from Betty Crocker.
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract or bean paste
3 eggs
2 1/2-2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. In large bowl, combine sugar and oil; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Add flour, cinnamon, cocoa and baking powder; mix well. Stir in toasted hazelnuts.
2. Shape dough into a 10-inch log. Flatten each until 3 inches wide.
3. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until firm when touched in center.
4. Cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes. With serrated knife, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices.
5. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same cookie sheet.
6. Return to oven; bake 10 minutes. Turn slices over; bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until cut sides are crisp. Cool 10 minutes. Enjoy with coffee!
Adapted from Betty Crocker.