Chocolate Amaretto Biscotti

This biscotti recipe uses chopped almonds instead of whole nuts traditionally found in the cookie. Since these cookies will be crumbled and used in the Chocolate Amaretto Biscotti & Pear Brandy Betty (recipe) the smaller sized nuts are a more suitable choice.

Ingredients

3 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons Amaretto
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup chopped almonds

Directions

Stir the chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until melted. Cool 5 minutes.

Add butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat until fluffy. Beat in chocolate. Add eggs and Amaretto and beat well.

Sift together dry ingredients and beat into mixture until thoroughly combined.

Stir in almonds until throughout.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for one hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Lightly spray a baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray. Divide dough in half. Form two loaves from each half measuring 14 inches long by 4 inches wide. Place each loaf on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Remove loaves from oven and place on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Place loaves on a cutting board, and, using a serrated knife, cut loaves on the diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices.

Place slices flat, on their side, 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes

Makes 32 cookies

Note: A problem I sometimes have when making biscotti, is baking the loaf evenly, especially in an oven where some spots are hotter than others. The ends of the cookie loaf bake quicker than the middle of the loaf, leaving the ends too dark and the middle undone. Here's a tip! After about 15 minutes of baking remove the cookie sheet from the oven and slice off each end or the baked portions. Be sure to slice on the diagonal. Using a spatula, transfer the baked ends to your cutting board and then cut the 1/2" slices. Place the undone middle back into the oven and bake for another 5-7 minutes.

Recipe adopted from Jeanne Benedict's Sophisticated Entertaining.