Biscotti

There is an Italian bakery in Bridgeport, CT called Del Prete, and they make these great mini biscotti. They are the perfect size for dunking in an espresso or a glass of vin santo. I usually get the chocolate and the almond from Del Prete, but have been making butterscotch biscotti off and on for a few years, and thought I would try making them smaller like those from Del Prete. I also wanted to try making chocolate.
The recipe I have adapted for the butterscotch biscotti is actually one my mother clipped from a newspaper 20 years ago. I don’t know what newspaper it was, but the recipe is one that was sent in by a reader, and it was called Grandmom Arcuri’s Butterscotch “Biscotti”. The quotes around the word biscotti were apparently because they eliminated the second baking in their recipe. Since biscotti actually means twice baked, I guess you could say they were not technically “biscotti”. Anyway, Grandmom Arcuri wherever you are, thanks.

Butterscotch Biscotti Recipe

Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 55 min | Total time: 1 hour and 15 min
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 large egg beaten in a bowl

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in butter and almond extract until combined.
3. In a small bowl whisk together flour and baking powder, then stir it into the egg mixture in the large bowl and fold in the butterscotch chips.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a log and transfer two logs to each baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.
5. Stretch and flatten out the logs until they are the length of the baking sheet and 2 inches wide.
6. Brush the tops of the dough with the beaten egg, then place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Using a serrated bread knife, cut each log diagonally in to 1 inch thick slices. Place biscotti back on baking sheet, return to oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how hard you like your biscotti.

For the chocolate biscotti recipe, I did a hybrid of the butterscotch recipe and David Leibovitz’s chocolate biscotti. I went to his recipe to get the measurements for the amount of chocolate, but I like the texture the butter in the butterscotch recipe lends.

Chocolate Biscotti Recipe

Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 55 min | Total time: 1 hour and 15 min
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 large egg beaten in a bowl

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in butter and almond extract until combined.
3. In a small bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, then stir it into the egg mixture in the large bowl and fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a log and transfer two logs to each baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.
5. Stretch and flatten out the logs until they are the length of the baking sheet and 2 inches wide.
6. Brush the tops of the dough with the beaten egg, then place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Using a serrated bread knife, cut each log diagonally in to 1 inch thick slices. Place biscotti back on baking sheet, return to oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how hard you like your biscotti.