25 Days of Cookies: Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Recipe 2 for 25 Days of Cookies!

Biscotti for the chocolate lover, these double chocolate cookies with chocolate dough and mini chocolate chips are a family adaptation of the original Holiday Biscotti recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. If you’re a lover of Nutella, you'll love the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate again in these delightful cookies!

If you're new to making biscotti, check out my more in depth explanation of the process with pictures for the Cranberry-Lemon-Almond Biscotti!

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cocoa powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ cup sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

¾ cup hazelnuts (also called filberts), coarsely chopped [I used a small electric chopper for this part. Less mess.]

½ cup mini chocolate chips

2 ounces good-quality chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Toast your hazelnuts. [Important because it enhances their flavor.] Do this by pouring into a dry pan on the stove over medium heat. Keep an eye on them they can burn easily. About 2-3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix your flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream your sugar and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time.

Combine your dry ingredients and wet ingredients until just mixed.

Add hazelnuts and mini chocolate chips and mix with a wooden spoon until well incorporated. [The dough is heavy and sticky, not an easy mixing process.]

Transfer the dough, in a ball, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Form a 3in wide log about 13in long.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes.

On a diagonal angle, slice the cookie log [about an inch/slice].

Eat the heels. Mmmm :)

Line your baking sheet with the cookie slices on their sides. Bake for 15 minutes.

After they’ve completely cooled on a wire rack, get your chocolate ready. The method you choose to melt your chocolate will be determined by the quality of chocolate you’re using. I’ve used Ghirardelli in the microwave with good results. Go slow. Max of 30 seconds at a time. If you’re going to melt chocolate chips, use a double boiler for best results.

Never used a double boiler? Sounds fancy but it is simple! Fill a sauce pan about halfway with water and heat until simmering. A simmer means that small bubbles rise and pop at the surface slowly. If you’re water looks like it’s boiling, with big bubbles rising quickly and popping violently, you’ll want to turn your heat down and wait until the water is at a simmering point.

In a heat safe glass bowl that’s bigger than the pot you’re using, pour your chocolate. Then settle the bowl on top of the pot with the simmering water. Stir your chocolate until it melts. It should become fluid and shiny. If your chocolate looks dull when it’s melted, you won’t have the best results.

Transfer melted chocolate to a plastic bag and snip a tiny corner off for drizzling!