This second Plate to Plate challenge features a crunchy cookie perfect for the holidays. When Jillian and I discussed what we’d like to do for our second “Plate to Plate”, we thought something sweet for the holidays would be nice. We quickly decided on the Chocolate-Cherry-Almond Biscotti I found on the Williams-Sonoma website.
Jillian’s photos are on the left and mine are on the right.
This time I didn’t make too many changes to the recipe. Jillian told me the first time she made the recipe she had to add quite a bit more flour since there seemed to be too many eggs in the recipe. So I used one egg less than called for and although the dough was still quite sticky, it wasn’t too bad. It’s very important to watch the cookies when they are baking. Since the dough is quite dark, it’s hard (impossible) to see when the dough starts to brown. I think my cookies could have benefited from a shorter baking time. That said, my colleagues were quite happy with the results!
You can find Jillian’s Plate to Plate post on her blog. I really like the gold and brown color scheme she decided on!
Chocolate-Cherry Biscotti (lightly adapted from Williams-Sonoma)
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 3/4 cup dried tart cherries, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup blanched almonds, coarsely chopped
- 2 whole eggs, plus 1 egg white
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. almond extract
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 1 baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well mixed. Add the cherries and almonds and mix to distribute them evenly.
In another bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg white, and vanilla and almond extracts. Pour into the dry ingredients. Using a mixer, mix together the dry and wet ingredients, taking care to work all the bits of dry ingredients into the dough. The dough will be dense and sticky.
Place a piece of plastic wrap 18 inches long on the countertop. Transfer the dough to the plastic wrap. Lightly moisten your hands with cold water to prevent the dough from sticking to them, then shape the dough into a flattened log 12 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide by 1 inch high. Lifting the plastic wrap and cradling the dough, flip the dough onto the center of the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the log until they are dry to the touch and firm in the center when pressed with your fingers, about 30 minutes. It will spread and may crack slightly on top. Transfer to wire racks and let the log cool on the pan for 30 minutes. The log will still be slightly warm to the touch. Leave the oven on.
Carefully transfer the log to a cutting board and set the parchment-lined pan aside. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise on the diagonal into slices 1/2 inch wide. Arrange the slices, cut side down, on the lined baking sheet, placing them close together but not touching. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using tongs or a spatula, turn the biscotti. Continue to bake until dry and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the biscotti to wire racks to cool completely. Store the biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
Makes 4 dozen cookies.
I must not have seen this post and it makes me wonder how many I’ve missed over the years. These look delicious and I’ve been looking for something chocolate to make. These would be perfect. Not sure I’ll have time but maybe!