Bittersweet Chocolate Biscotti

9 oz (generous 2 cups) whole blanched (skinned almonds)
6 oz semisweet chocolate
1 ¾ cups sifted unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder (Medaglia D’Oro is good)
½ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs plus 1 egg white graded “large”
½ cup packed cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Scant ½ tsp almond extract


Toast the almonds in a shallow pan in a 350 oven for 12 to 15 min until lightly colored. Set aside to cool.

Chop or break the chocolate into small pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Let stand. Sift together into a large bowl the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa, espresso, and granulated sugar. Add about ½ cup of the sifted dry ingredients and about ½ cup of the almonds to the chocolate. Process for about 30 seconds until the chocolate and nuts are fine and powdery.

Add the processed ingredients to the remaining sifted dry ingredients and stir to mix. Stir in the remaining almonds. Set aside. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and egg white, brown sugar, vanilla and almond extract until mixed.

Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients ( you’ll think there’s not going to be enough liquid, but it will be OK) Push the ingredients together using a rubber spatula.

Place 2 18” strips of plastic wrap on a work surface. You will form 2 strips of dough, on on each piece of plastic. Spoon half of the dough on each piece of plastic down the length, about 13 inches long. Fold the long sides of the plastic over and cover the dough. With your hands push on the plastic covered dough to make a long flat log about 13 inches long and ¾ inch thick. Make sure the dough is even. Place it on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for at least an hour (or as long as you want)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cover the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the strips of dough to the sheets by opening the two long sides of the plastic on the top of the dough then flipping the dough over to remove the sheet. The dough should be diagonal on the cookie sheet. Place the second strip of dough on a second sheet.

Bake for 1 hour minutes, reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking. Reduce the heat to 275 degrees. Remove the loaves and immediately using a long serrated knife (and a gentle sawing motion) cut into thin strips (while still very hot). Slice them on an angle to make long thin cookies.

Place the slices on a cut side, touching each other on the cookie sheets. Cook for about 25-45 minutes or until dry – you can test them by popping one in the freezer to cool it down quickly and then test the crispness. Do not overbake. –watch them carefully.

These are also wonderful with dried cherries and increased almond extract.