Lemon + Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Makes : 40 – 45 biscotti

Crisp lemony biscotti with a touch of crunchy polenta and swirled with dark chocolate flakes.

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (115 grams) butter
• 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
• 1 + 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup (45 grams) fine polenta
• 2/3 cup (70 grams) ground almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 ounces (50 grams) good dark chocolate, shaved

– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients – 

Equipment:

• Standing or hand-held electric mixer
• Bowls and spoons
• Cookie sheet lined with baking paper

Directions:

Heat the oven to 180C (350F). Line a cookie sheet with baking paper. Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest until well combined. Creaming the zest as well helps all the yummy lemony oils release into the mixture.

Add the eggs and beat until thick and fluffy.

Add the flour, almonds, polenta and baking powder. Mix until almost combined. Add the shaved chocolate and mix until combined.

Divide the dough into two and form into logs directly on the cookie sheet. Leave more room between them than you think as they do spread and I am a bit paranoid about them joining together. Lightly flour your hands and pat the dough down into neatish logs. It will be sticky so dab flour on your hands as you go to help.

Make them taller and narrower than you might think – they will spread and slump down and this will help them retain a bit of height. Your logs should be about 2 inches high and wide and about 10 inches long.

Bake the logs for about 25 minutes until they are golden and when you touch the top of them gently with a finger they are set but a bit springy. Rotate the trays and swap them top to bottom halfway through cooking. If they are soft and seem a bit squishy give them a couple more minutes. When you rotate them you can use an offset spatula to straighten them up a bit of they are a bit wonky – just gently encourage the edges in.

Take the logs out of the oven and pop them onto a cooling rack on the tray. Leave them for about 15 minutes then slide them on the paper onto the rack by themselves. Leave them to cool for another 15 minutes. They need to be firm and cool enough to hold and slice.

Use a sharp serrated knife and gently slice the logs up. I cut them to about half an inch. You can go to about 3/4 of an inch if you want them a bit chunkier. Live dangerously. If you find chocolate is smearing on your knife wipe it down with a paper towel after every few cuts to keep the biscotti looking neat.

Stand them up on the trays. No turning them over halfway though and they will crisp up perfectly. Make sure there is a bit of space between the pieces so they will bake evenly.

Back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The surfaces will be golden but the biscotti will still have a little give to them. They will crisp up fully as they cool.

Now where’s that cup of tea….

Cook’s Notes:

• Try this recipe with orange zest instead of lemon or try shaved white chocolate which is always a nice foil for lemon as well.
• If you want more chocolate I recommend dipping the biscotti after they have fully cooled – having to much or to large pieces of chocolate in the dough can make biscotti hard to slice and can leave chocolatey streaks on the biscotti.

 – Biscotti keep really well – store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks – 

Adapted from Baking from my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

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