Ingredients 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour ½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 2 Tbsp Instant Espresso Powder ¾ tsp Baking Soda ½ tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Sea Salt ¾ Stick (6 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature 1 Cup Sugar 2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract 1/3 Chopped Dried Cherries 1 Cup Chopped Almonds, blanched or unblanched 4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped, or ¾ Cup store-bought mini chocolate chips Sugar, for dusting Method Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Sift together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes; the mixture may be crumbly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes; don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the chopped cherries, nuts and chocolate, then turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead in any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough into 12-inch-long logs. Flatten both logs with the palm of your hand, so that they are ½ to 1 inch high, about 2 inches across and sort of rectangular, then carefully lift the logs onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle each log with a little sugar. Bake the logs for about 25 minutes, or until they are just slightly firm. The logs will spread and crack – and that’s just fine. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, put it on a cooling rack and cool the logs for about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on.) Working with one log at a time, using a long serrated knife, cut each log into slices between ½ and ¾ inch thick. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet-you’ll have an army of biscotti-and bake the cookies again, this time for just 10 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack to cool. |