Warming Up with Dark Chocolate Biscotti

The sun brightens the sky again after a brutal parenthesis of cold and snow. Despite the plunging temperatures and chilling wind, we still need to take the dog out for her walk. I make myself learn to live with this frozen world all over again. I bundle up my head, my hands and my feet which seem to be the most vulnerable. I trudge through deep snow, pulling my boots up and over with each step. This isn’t a regular walk in the park. Stella, the dog, bounces in and out, sometimes poking her whole head into a mound of snow. As my body slowly attunes to the outdoors, I look around, amazed. Silence surrounds me only broken by the sound of a bird’s wings and the scurry of a squirrel. The wet snow reveals every single detail of nature’s beauty. I breathe, thankful for this gift.

Back home, my mind drifts towards the upcoming holidays. Snow will do that. With a fire in the woodstove and music on my speakers, I still need to do something to warm me up. It’s time to get the oven in the kitchen going. I go through my cookbooks, then through my handwritten recipes in my notebook. I find the perfect gem: deep dark chocolate biscotti. In my mind, I already see them finished and sitting on a plate beside a fresh cup of coffee or hot chocolate. I get to work. Butter, flour, eggs, pure vanilla extract, instant coffee, dark cocoa, dark brown sugar, dark chocolate chips. I love the smell and the color as I mix it up. I start to shape the sticky dough and then realize I am wearing my favorite fuzzy white sweater. Very carefully, I make the biscotti logs, then wash my hands and take the sweater off. I think I saved it from the cocoa powder in the air and the dark sticky mixture.

I brush the logs with egg wash then bake them then slice them then bake them again. All of a sudden, I realize I’ve warmed up. The oven’s heat takes over the small kitchen, the biscotti’s perfume takes over the air. I’m in my happy place. 

The next time I walk into my house, that warmth and smell will welcome me in from the cold. It’s a good way to live out a northern Indiana winter. Here’s the recipe for the biscotti if you want it.

Deep Dark Chocolate Biscotti

2 c. flour 

¾ c. plus 2 T. dark cocoa

1 t. sea salt

1 t. baking soda

1 ¾ c. dark brown sugar

⅓ c. white sugar

4 T. butter, softened

1 T. pure vanilla extract 

1 t. instant coffee

3 eggs, room temperature 

1 rounded c. dark chocolate chips 

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

White sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a smaller bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Stir in vanilla and instant coffee. Beat in eggs until mixture is smooth and creamy. Slowly add the dry ingredients spoonful by spoonful, until just mixed. Then add the chocolate chips. The dough will be sticky.

Using a spatula, divide the dough onto two sheets of wax paper. Using the wax paper, shape them into 1 ½”-2” wide logs. Transfer them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with white sugar.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for at least 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 325°.

On a board, carefully slice each log using a serrated knife into ½ “ slices. Lay biscotti pieces back on parchment-lined pans. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. Makes 35 to 40 biscotti.