Checkered Biscotti
Checker patterned biscotti made with two flavors of dough.
Servings 18
Ingredients
Vanilla Dough
- 1 cup minus 1 T. all-purpose flour 120 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt plus a pinch
- ⅓ cup sugar (63 grams)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (42 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon brandy or other type of alcohol
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla or use a mixture of ¾ almond and ¼ vanilla
- ⅓ cup whole almonds toasted and chopped
Chocolate Dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 135 grams
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder natural (20 grams)
- ⅜ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus a pinch
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled (42 grams)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 grams
- ¼ cup brown sugar 50 grams
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp brandy, etc. Use whatever, or just leave out
- ⅓ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- 4 oz white or dark chocolate (for dipping) -- optional
Instructions
- Make the vanilla dough first. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together sugar, melted butter, egg, and vanilla (and/or almond extract).
- Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir, then stir in the almonds. Shape into a flat rectangle about 4 inches by 8 inches, then wrap in plastic and chill for about 30 minutes or until firm. Dough should be pretty soft.
- Chocolate Dough: Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together sugar, melted butter, egg, and vanilla. Add a tablespoon of brandy or other alcohol if using.
- Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir, then stir in chocolate chips or chunks. Shape into a flat 4 inches by 8 inches rectangle, then wrap and chill for about a half hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle.
- When both sections of dough are firm enough to handle, cut each vertical to make 4 strips of vanilla dough and four strips of chocolate. On a large piece of plastic wrap. Line up dough strips side-by-side in the pattern vanilla, chocolate, vanilla, chocolate. Stack a second layer of alternating dough pieces on top going chocolate, vanilla, chocolate, vanilla. Squish gently into a log, wrap and chill for another half hour. NOTE: If your dough seems too soft to work with, you can throw it in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Remove the chilled log from the refrigerator and shape it gently so that it’s a little over 8 inches long and 3 inches wide and forms a peak in the center.
- Cut each long in half vertically, then line the logs up so you have chocolate, vanilla, chocolate vanilla
- Stack logs so that you have a chocolate and vanilla on the bottom and a vanilla and chocolate on top. Shape into a large log about 8x4.
- Bake at 325 for 50 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool for about 15 minutes.
- Cut into ¾-inch slices with a serrated knife ( the thinner the blade, the better).
- Reduce heat to 300 degrees F.
- Stand the biscotti on a clean baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.
- Melt the white or dark chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Pour on a plate or in a narrow bowl and sink biscotti into chocolate coating just the bottom. Lay or stand on a parchment lined plate or tray, then chill or freeze to set the chocolate.
Notes
For a Chocolate Peanut Butter Checkered Biscotti, Use this dough instead.
1 cup all-purpose flour (130 grams)
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup peanut butter (64 grams)
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup roasted, salted peanuts
Handful of peanut butter chips (optional)