Biscotti

Winter has officially put its spell on our home. The Christmas tree is up, the treats are on the table, and the radio is on most of the day. We indulge the season spirit, whether that means gathering near the Christmas tree for coffee or curling up with a good book and a big mug of tea. This week I've baked cookies (unpublished, there was as much shape in them as in Flubber), almond-apple pie, boterkoek, and biscotti. It's coziness galore, and that's exactly what winter is supposed to be - or at least December, the month before we all start worrying about what we've done to our waistline and start sprinting towards the gym. But let that be a later concern.

These biscotti are a great treat to go with coffee or - better - with espresso. The full flavor of coffee and dark chocolate go well together. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, because espresso and biscotti are two very Italian things.

Biscotti are crunchy and airy, a bit like rusks, but they are cinnamon flavored and sweetened with chunks of dried prunes and apricots. They take about two hours to make but they are worth the effort. You'll find the recipe below. Bon appetit.

Ingredients:

• 75 grams dried apricots
• 75 grams dried prunes
• 200 grams dark chocolate
• 280 grams flour + extra to dust
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1.5 tsp. ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 60 grams soft butter
• 175 grams sugar
• 8 grams of powdered vanilla
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1.  Cut apricots and prunes in small bits. Chop 100 grams chocolate coarse. Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in eggs one by one. Add flour mixture and stir. Add apricots, prunes, and chopped chocolate. Knead into a sticky dough.
2. Pre-heat oven to 200°C or 390°F. Divide dough in two portions. On a parchment lined baking sheet (and with floured hands), shape dough into two sheets of 25 cm or 10 inch long and 8 cm or 3 inch wide. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 175°C or 350°F. Cut sheets into biscotti of about 2cm or 0.75 inch thick. Bake for another 20 minutes. Turn the biscotti over after 10 minutes.
4. Break 100 grams chocolate in chunks and melt au bain-marie. Use chocolate to decorate the biscotti.