There are so many reasons to cook with friends and as you probably know, I do them all! But, sometimes you just need to fill the cookie jar with something delicious and homemade. That’s what Jackie and I decided when we got together to make chocolate chip biscotti last Wednesday. Sure, with news of a snowstorm looming, we could have decided to stock our freezers with dinner foods (and certainly both could have used it!), but we set our needs aside and went for pure desire.
Put simply, we envisioned ourselves snowed in and needing a homemade crunch with our morning cup of coffee.
Since Jackie and I have made biscotti together many times, we knew it would be a slow double bake process. That’s why I started my batch early and had two logs baking in the oven before Jackie even rang my doorbell. To speed things up, I had all the ingredients ready for her — all she would have to do is measure, pulse and mold.
While the biscotti baked, we sat down to enjoy a delicious lunch and then a cup of coffee with one of our newly baked biscotti on the side.
Since my kids seem to have discovered the hidden biscotti, my cookie jar is empty again. And with such busy weekends — plays, dinner plans, gymnastic meets, skiing — I haven’t been able to replenish it yet. It’s clear that everyone enjoyed the biscotti “down to the last drop” and it was a good idea to toss aside our cooking needs.
Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Makes two dozen
These chocolate chip biscotti are a perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee and make a great hostess gift or teacher gift.
2 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, plus another one for a wash
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, mix together flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla and butter until resembles a wet sand and starts to stick together. Transfer the mixture to a well flour pastry mat or floured surface and separate into two mounds. Divide the chocolate chips among the two piles and begin molding the dough into a log 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. Repeat with the other mound of dough. Brush the top and sides of the logs with a pastry brush and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake in the center rack of the oven for approximately 30 minutes until golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes. When cooled, slice the logs on a diagonal into ½ inch slices. Lay pieces on a baking sheet and cook for another ten minutes or so until hardened. Cool and store in a cookie jar!