CHOCOLATE ALMOND BISCOTTI

i'll be brief...i'm soooo behind with my posting. I COOK, I SHOOT, I EAT....then on to the next delicious fun thing. by the time i get to posting about it i've forgotten half of all that's happened. i mean, the adventure and getting to the finished product is the fun part. even if it's a disaster and a complete mess i know i had some fun in the kitchen and made someone laugh out loud. i definitely feel much more comfortable in the kitchen and behind the camera than i do sitting at the computer writing about it.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE ALMOND BISCOTTI

(say triple due to the cocoa, mini chips...then the chocolate dip)
really chocolaty, really crispy, really impressive for parties, gift giving or just for the handy chocolate fix...biscotti always pack well and keep for quite a while.

the bummer is that they are really sticky-messy to make.
the final product turns out beautifully, but i think the recipe might need a little more flour?...i didn't want to change anything, but i did end up using quite a bit of flour while creating the logs for the 1st bake.

the two photos above were shot 3 days after final product. as you can see they definitely get that twice baked, kinda dry crunchy effect. i thought this was a good thing to show since biscotti are supposed to last in an air-tight container for a few weeks...right?...well, they do...they just get that dry look..i guess it's "the biscotti look". the photo below is fresh after dipping..i know, i know if i had tempered the chocolate it would have stayed nice and smooth and shiny looking....do you have the time and patience right now for tempering?...i don't..so the chocolate gets a bit hmmmm...dull ?....still tastes delicious!

CHOCOLATE ALMOND BISCOTTI
adapted from a recipe found at about.com.
click here for original post and copied below for your convenience.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract...i used vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
i added a little less than 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sliced almonds..i used whole almonds
1 cup chocolate chips...i used chocolate bark
1 tbsp shortening
Preparation:Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smoothly blended. Add eggs and almond extract, beat again until smooth. In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Blend into butter mixture until smooth. Stir almonds into dough. Divide dough in half and shape into 2 logs, about 11 inches long. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes. Use a serrated knife to make 1/2 inch slices. Place slices back on sheet, and bake for another 6 minutes. Flip slices over and bake for 6 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Make chocolate glaze: Mix chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minutes on high in the microwave. Stir until mixed and smooth. Drizzle glaze over biscotti. Makes 36 biscotti

MY NOTES... i already put the few changes i made in bold, but there are a few things i wanted to pass on. i think the baked loaves need to cool longer than 10 minutes. i leave them out for at least an hour... when using whole nuts, i think they slice easier. also, when i go in for the second baking...i like to stand the biscotti upright instead of laying them flat. they dry out evenly and there is no need to flip them. let the finished biscotti cool completely before dipping or drizzling.