Cappuccino Biscotti

What goes better with coffee than coffee flavored biscotti!

American biscotti are more tender/cookie-like because they have butter in them. The tall jars of chocolate-dipped biscotti displayed at cafes in North America, are likely American style.

Traditional Italian biscotti are made with no added fat (butter) besides eggs. They end up drier and crisper and generally too hard to eat without first dunking in coffee.

I personally prefer the american style, but don't make the mistake of over-baking these like I did the first time. I didn't realize that they would harden so much after they had cooled - they ended up hard as rocks - good thing they are meant to be dunked in coffee. My second attempt was much better without overbaking. They were crisp, crunchy and delicious.



Cappuccino Biscotti
Makes 24 | adapted from 400 Sensational Cookies

3 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp instant coffee granules
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 1/3 sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 tbsp cream or milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the flour, cocoa, instant coffee, baking powder and salt into a bowl then set aside.

2. In the bowl of your electric mixer combine the eggs and vanilla extract and beat to blend. Gradually beat in the melted butter, cream and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add flour mixture one-third at a time, beating well after each addition until a stiff dough forms.

3. Spoon dough onto prepared cookie sheet, forming 2 long, flat logs each measuring 12 inches long by 2-3 inches wide. Space them about 4 inches apart as they will spread and double in width. Bake until light golden brown and firm to the touch, about 25-30 minutes, then let cool for 10 minutes.

4. Transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife cut the dough into slices 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick on the diagonal. Arrange the slices cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake until crisp and dry, about 5-7 minutes longer - until just dry. They will crisp up as they cool too. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. Store in an airtight container for several weeks.