Is anyone else as obsessed with The Great British Baking Show as I am? I love this show! I have re-watched the show many times and it still is interesting every time!
There was a biscotti episode of The Great British Baking Show where the contestants competed to make different variations of biscotti. It is crazy how many interesting and fun variations the contestants on the great British baking show think of.
With these ingredients, you can make biscotti just like the cooks on The Great British Baking Show! You will need to roast the hazelnuts in the oven to get the skin to peel off or you can skip this step in the recipe and buy peeled hazelnuts.
You need to roll the nuts into the dough to get that extra crunch in the biscotti. You can leave the nuts out if you are allergic or substitute with something else. My favorite substitution are chocolate chips because I am a chocolate lover!
Did you know that Biscotti means double baked in Italian? The "bi" means twice and "cotti" is derived from the Italian word "cotto" which means cooked.
I am always up for a challenge and I like to imagine that I can compete in The Great British Baking Show! For my mini-challenge, I made these chocolate hazelnut biscotti to test my baking skills. The key to the snap-in of these cookies is to bake the cookie two times in the oven. I had to cook mine a little longer than the recipe described to get that extra crispy snap that you should expect in the biscotti. I loved making these because you can bake a large batch and the cookies will store in your cabinet for about two weeks. They are an easy cookie to grab in the morning with your coffee or evening with your tea. If you are anything like me you will dunk these cookies in your biscotti! Trust me it tastes so good! This recipe is so delicious because you get a mix of chocolate and coffee flavor. Enjoy!
Hazelnut Biscotti
Serving size: 60
Total Time: 1 hour
Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
1 cup whole hazelnuts
2 1/2 cups flour, plus flour for work surface
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder or ground coffee
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread hazelnuts on baking sheet and toast about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Toast them until the skins begin to crack, then remove them from the oven and wrap them in a cotton towel. Rub hot nuts to remove most of the skin. Set toasted nuts aside.
Step 2: Sift the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together and set aside.
Step 3: Beat eggs in a mixing bowl. Remove two tablespoons of egg mixture to a small dish and set aside. Beat sugar into remaining eggs until blended. Stir in flour mixture to form a soft dough.
Step 4: Divide the dough in half and place one portion on a well-floured work surface. Roll dough into a six-inch square. Scatter half the hazelnuts on the dough and press them into the surface. Roll the dough into a cylinder about 2 inches in diameter and 12 to 15 inches long. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and place the roll of dough on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Brush the tops of both rolls with the reserved egg.
Step 5: Place in the oven and bake about 20-25 minutes, until firm to the touch. Transfer to a cutting board and cut on an angle into slices one-half-inch thick. Return the slices to the baking sheet, laying them on their cut sides, and return them to the oven. Bake another 20 minutes, until they are crisp and dry. Allow cooling completely before storing or serving.
Comments