Chocolate Chip Biscotti

This recipe for Chocolate Chip Biscotti makes the best biscotti out there. I say this with confidence and include it in comparison to the biscottit I find enticingly displayed at the wonderful Italian bakeries in Boston’s North End. Don’t get me wrong, their biscotti is good and well worth seeking out. It’s just that in my humble opinion, the recipe here for Chocolate Chip Biscotti is even better.

One reason for this is obvious. Chocolate. As far as I’m concerned, any dessert with the addition of chocolate is elevated to new heights. Also, the recipe contains anise seed. Anise is a traditional flavor in biscotti and when paired with chocolate, the combination is divine.

Lastly this recipe for Chocolate Chip Biscotti has the addition of butter. Now I know authentic Italian biscotti does not have butter in it, but for me biscotti needs a little butter.

Butter gives the biscotti more flavor and makes the biscotti a little softer. Not too soft mind you. You will still have a nice crunchy cookie to dip into your coffee, but it will not be so hard that you could break a tooth. What I mean is, you can enjoy this biscotti by itself if you so desire, without the need for dipping.

If you have never made biscotti before you are in for surprise. Super easy. It is basically the same as making the cookies, except you mold the dough into a log and bake. Then let it cool, slice and bake again. If you have ever wondered, Biscotti means twice-cooked. Makes sense!

We can thank Giada De Laurentiis for this recipe. Did you know that she trained as a pastry chef in Paris?

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

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Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Author Cakewalk Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter- room temperature – 1 stick
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1¼ teaspoon ground anise seed *see notes
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

1. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and the salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and ground anise seed together until well combined.

4. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.

5. Mix in the flour mixture until just combined and then stir in the chocolate chips.

6. Pile the dough on to a clean counter top. Shape the dough into an approximately 16 inch log. Flatted the log slightly so that it is about 3 inches across. Carefully transfer to the prepared sheet pan. See photos.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a light golden brown. Cool directly on the pan for another 30 minutes.

8. Using a large serrated knife, cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices on a slight diagonal. Place the slices cut side down, on a baking sheet with a clean piece of parchment paper.

9. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the biscotti looks a pale golden color. Transfer the biscotti to a cooling rack and cool completely.  Keep biscotti in a air tight container.

Recipe Notes

• I increased the amount of ground anise seed found in the original recipe from 1 teaspoon to 1¼ teaspoons.
• Sometimes I cannot find ground anise and I buy regular “Anise Seed” and then grind it myself. It takes only a few seconds with an electric coffee grinder. I use a second one that I only use for grinding spices. Otherwise the taste of your coffee will be affected.
• The recipe makes 18 to 24 biscotti. It depends on how thick you slice the pieces and on how much of a diagonal. A slight diagonal will give you shorter but more biscotti vs a sharper diagonal will give you longer pieces but less in number.