I did it! Chocolate pistachio biscotti

Another recipe to cross off my "want to try" listDreary Sunday afternoons--the only reason I look forward to them is because I like to stay in and cook. The last dreary Sunday, I really wanted to bake. It may have been because I was anxious to try the Roll'pat that I'd just bought.


I did not know this until researching biscotti recipes, but traditional biscotti does not have butter. But don't worry about flavor--what it lacks in fat it makes up in sugar.


I followed this recipe for chocolate hazelnut biscotti. However, I did not have hazelnuts so I used pistachios (already shelled). I tried toasting them but I'm not sure this step is necessary with pistachios. (I actually ended up burning some of the pistachios and had to throw some out.)


Secondly, I didn't have Dutch-processed cocoa powder but I thought that would be okay because according to this site, I could sub cocoa powder and a little extra baking soda.

Thirdly, I didn't even have enough cocoa powder! I had probably a tablespoon less cocoa powder than the recipe requires. I have to admit, in the end it didn't seem as chocolate-y as it could have been, but [spoiler alert!] they were pretty good anyways.



Similar to other baked goods, wet and dry ingredients are mixed together separately then incorporated.


From this point on, I don't have any photos because I started using my hands. This was the fun part. I took about half of the dough (super sticky, as the original blogger noted) and sort of mushed it about and rolled it into a log form on my well-floured Roll'pat. I forgot about the pistachios and had to rework the first log a little bit. Then I took the remainder and shaped a second roll.


Clearly, I did not do a very good job of dividing the dough equally. The logs were then brushed with some egg saved from earlier. They went into the oven for 30 min (originally 15 min, but I started checking every five minutes and it wasn't until about 30 min that they seemed "firm to the touch").


Part of the way through baking, I noticed the logs had really expanded and were slightly touching, so I added a little strip of parchment paper in between. Next time, I think I would build a little divider wall with the parchment paper.


After it cooled slightly, I cut the logs to prepare for the second baking, about 15 min for each side... which was way too long! I didn't realize that as they cooled they would continue to dry out and harden. Next time, I would probably leave them in for about 5 min per side.



I had to put a disclaimer note on the batch I brought to work for my co-workers, telling them for the sake of their teeth, they would have to dunk these into some coffee or tea. Which is of course the perfect way to eat biscotti. These were great fun to make and to eat. For a first attempt, I would have to congratulate myself. I can't wait to experiment with other varieties!