Goodness me, where did December go? It didn’t really hit me that Christmas is around the corner until I recorded my out-of-office greeting on my work phone. (Isn’t that just the most satisfying feeling in the world? It is to me, anyways… it feels like hitting the official “play” button on my vacation time.)
Tonight we pack up our stuff and hit the road to spend a few days of our holiday break with my family. The forecast for Montreal is currently calling for cold and crisp weather, which means I’m packing a pig pile of knitting and a couple of good books to keep me occupied indoors – I may be a Canadian gal, but I’ve never been a fan of cold temperatures.
Before I go, though, I’m sharing my recipe for Cappuccino Biscotti from this year’s holiday bake-a-thon. They’re one of my favourite biscotti concoctions – dense, crunchy cookie slices laced with a sweet cappuccino-inspired blend of coffee, cinnamon and chocolate.
They’re a little sweeter than my usual biscotti, mostly because I opted to use milk chocolate chips, since bittersweet chocolate didn’t feel quite right in this context. Thankfully, a big handful of toasted walnuts adds a slight hint of bitter that cuts through all that sweetness, and adds another level of crunch.
Obviously, there’s no better accompaniment for these crisp cookies than a big, frothy cappuccino, a comfy chair and someone special to snuggle with (either of the four-legged or two-legged variety) when you can find a quiet moment to unwind after all that holiday madness.
And speaking of quiet moments to unwind… I’ll be taking a short break for the next few days to celebrate Christmas with my family.
Wishing you and yours a very, very happy holiday season full of good eats, good company and good times. See you on the flipside!
(In an unrelated note, the folks over at Aurora Importing are running a new monthly contest called First Friday Recipideo Roundup – all you have to do to win is try out your own spin on their featured video recipe for the month, take a photo of your finished result, and submit it online. There’s a $50 gift certificate for Aurora products up for grabs each month!
The deadline for December’s challenge has just been extended to January 3rd, so there’s still time to get cooking – and considering the challenge involves rich, creamy risotto with fresh peas, it’s definitely worth checking out. Keep an eye out in early January for my contribution!)
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- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp instant coffee granules
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp coffee liqueur (optional)
- Egg wash (1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tbsp milk)
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, coffee granules, cinnamon and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture is fine and crumbly.
- Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts, eggs and coffee liqueur (if using) until the dough is just barely moistened. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, about 8-10 times.
- Using floured hands, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a 9″ long roll. Place two rolls 4 inches apart on each of the prepared cookie sheets, gently flattening each one into a 2″ wide slab. Brush the top and sides of each log with egg wash.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the top of the slabs feels firm and dry. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Set the slabs on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Once the slabs are cool enough to handle, cut crosswise into into ½” thick slices. Place slices upright, ¼ inch apart, on cookie sheets.
- Place the slices on the baking sheet, cut sides down, and return to the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over, and continue baking for another 10 minutes (the cookies should be just a bit soft in the center – don’t worry, they’ll harden up once they cool). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then store in airtight containers.
I have a thing for biscotti and I love anything coffee-flavored so you could imagine how excited I am to make these! Thanks for sharing!!
My tea&coffee loving family and friends would love these biscotti. Thanks for sharing! :)
Wow, these sound and look utterly divine and so simple to make! Have never made biscotti but this shall be rectified this week. Thank you and beautiful blog :-)
I’ve only made one type of biscotti. This sounds delightful and far from the usual peanut recipe I make. Delicious!
Where did December AND 2011 go? And LOVELY biscotti! I hope you had a Merry Christmas!
wow these look delicious and perfectly dunkable! Love it.
yum, what a great biscotti combo! chocolate chips and walnuts my favorite…and coffee….heavenly! must try after I get out of this holiday induced food coma! and thank you for the shout out to your readers re Aurora’s Recipideo Roundup!! Can’t wait for your contribution! Have a wonderful holiday and Cheers!!
I was looking for a treat to make for this weekend and these look perfect. I just printed out the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Have a wonderful holiday break! Your biscotti looks wonderful!
Have a Fabulous Foodie Festive Season Isabelle!! I’m jealous of your snow, the nearest we get to a white christmas is the icing sugar!! Enjoy x
Ohmigoodness, that looks so delicious! Perfectly comforting and a great indulgence after that out-of-office recording. I need some of this biscotti :)
Happy holidays! Buzzed
I love biscotti. My grandma used to make great ones, but then she started cutting out the butter and sugar and now its just not right.