Chocolate Cherry Biscotti Recipes

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flours and salt in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.
• Beat sugar and eggs with a mixer at high speed until thick and pale (about 4 minutes). Add oil and extracts, beating until well-blended. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in cherries and chocolate chips.
• Divide dough in half; turn out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Shape each portion into a 10-inch-long roll, and flatten to 1-inch thickness. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove rolls from the baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
• Cut each roll diagonally into 20 (1/2-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over, and bake an additional 10 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED CHERRY BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine the dry ingredients first: whisking together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• In a large bowl, beat the sugar, lemon zest and butter until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporation and scraping down the sides in between.
• Add the flour mixture and beat until just blended, then stir in the cherries and (optional) pistachios.
• Form the dough into 12" long x 3" wide logs on the parchment paper. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until light golden. Cool for 30 minutes.
• Place the log on a cutting board and use a serrated knife to cut diagonally, 1/2"-3/4" slices. Lay the slices on the baking sheet and bake for another 15 minutes, or until they are a pale golden color. While they are cooking, get a pot of water boiling for your double boiler. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Place the chocolate chips in a small pot set over the pot of simmering water. Stir constantly to avoid burning the chocolate. When the chocolate is completely melted, dip the ends of the biscotti in and set them on a parchment sheet to set. Place all the biscotti in the refrigerator for about a half hour, until the chocolate firms up.
• They can be made ahead, or frozen for up to 3 weeks.

DARK CHOCOLATE CHERRY BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line 18x13-inch baking sheet with cooking parchment paper.
• In medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
• In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed about 3 minutes or until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and cherries. Divide dough into thirds on lightly floured surface. Lightly flour hands, and shape each piece of dough into 12-inch long log. Place logs on baking sheet, 4 inches apart. Press down gently to flatten to 2 inches wide.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until set, but still slightly soft. Place baking sheet on cooling rack; cool completely, about 1 hour. Transfer to cutting board and, with serrated knife, cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices cut side down on ungreased large cookie sheets, 1/2 inch apart.
• Bake 10 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until tops are dry. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips and shortening uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Transfer melted chips to small resealable food-storage plastic bag; cut small corner from one end of bag. Drizzle over biscotti. Let stand until drizzle is set, about 30 minutes.
• Store in tightly covered container.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray or brush lightly with vegetable oil.
• In large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat briefly to incorporate.
• In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated, kneading by hand at the end. Add cherries and beat on low speed just until incorporated.
• Turn dough onto work surface and if necessary, knead briefly to incorporate any loose cherries. Divide in half and roll each half into 8-inch-long (approximately 1 1/2-inch-wide) log.
• Carefully transfer logs to prepared baking sheet and bake until tops are firm to touch and bottoms are light golden, about 25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on rack 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 250° F. Using serrated knife, cut logs on a slight diagonal into 12 (1 1/2-inch-thick) slices. Return biscotti to baking sheet, cut-sides down. Bake, turning over once, until dry and crisp, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely.