WORLD NUTELLA DAY THURSDAY FEBRUARY 5TH, 2009

Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso
(and Shelley from At Home in Rome, in spirit)
solemnly declare Thursday, February 5th

“World Nutella Day 2009″ -

a day to celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly,
to EAT Nutella.

In honor of this sacred event I decided to make Nutella Biscotti.
Biscotti are my favorite cookie these days so I felt it was appropriate!
(I am posting this tonight since I won't be home in the morning!)

NUTELLA BISCOTTI

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup nutella
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat eggs in a large bowl until frothy.
Add sugar and continue beating on high for 2 minutes.
Stir in Nutella.

Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir until well combined.
Stir in chocolate chips and hazelnuts, if using.
( I didn't use the nuts this time - I used white and dark chocolate chips)

Divide dough into 2 or 3 logs with well floured hands and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press logs into rectangles approximately 1/2 inch thick.
Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven.
Turn down oven heat to 300°F.
Using a serrated knife, cut logs into 1/3-1/2 inch slices.
Arrange on baking sheet and return to oven.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, turn Biscotti over and bake an additional 10-12 minutes
(depending on the thickness of your slices).

Remove to a wire rack to cool.

At this point I drizzled my Biscotti with dark chocolate...I love doing this because some of the chocolate melts into my coffee when I dunk them.
Yummy!

Store in an airtight container.
(MINE DON'T LAST LONG ENOUGH TO BE STORED "AIR TIGHT"!)

CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI

by David Lebovitz

50 to 60 cookies

Use a good-quality cocoa powder. You can use natural or Dutch-process for these, whichever one you like. Just remember that the chocolate flavor of the finished cookies is dependent on the quality of cocoa powder you use. So it's worth using a decent one. I used Valrhona. See notes below on ingredients.

If you like extra-crisp biscotti, you can flip each one over midway during the second baking, in step #6. I sometimes smear one side of the cookies with melted dark chocolate. When dipped in a warm espresso, I can't imagine anything better.

For the biscotti

2 cups (280g) flour
3/4 cups (75g) top-quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup (125g) almonds, toasted and very coarsely-chopped
3/4 cups (120g) chocolate chips

For the glaze

1 large egg
2 tablespoons coarse or crystal sugar (see Notes)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees.

2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the 3 eggs, sugar, and vanilla & almond extracts. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, then mix in the nuts and the chocolate chips until the dough holds together.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into two logs the length of the baking sheet. Transfer the logs onto the baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.

5. Gently flatten the tops of the logs.

( I eliminated this next step- the egg and the sugar!)

Beat the remaining egg and brush the tops of the logs liberally with the egg. (You won't use it all). Sprinkle the tops with the coarse or crystal sugar and bake for 25 minutes, until the dough feels firm to the touch.

6. Remove the cookie dough from the oven and cool 15 minutes. On a cutting board, use a serrated bread knife to diagonally cut the cookies into 1/2-inches slices. Lay the cookies cut side down on baking sheets and return to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the baking sheet midway during baking, until the cookies feel mostly firm.

Once baked, cool the cookies completely then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. If you wish, the cookies can be half-dipped in melted chocolate, then cooled until the chocolate hardens.

I chose to drizzle a little white and a little dark chocolate on my biscotti!

Lenox Almond Biscotti

adapted from Baking From my Home to Yours
by Dorie Greenspan

1 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of yellow cornmeal
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of pure almond extract
3/4 cup of sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched



1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cornmeal together. (If you are adding ground spices, add them to this mixture before combining.)

3. Beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed for 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs and continue to beat, scraping down the bowl as needed, for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light, smooth and creamy. Beat in the almond extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. You'll have a soft, stick-to-your-fingers dough that will ball up around the paddle or beaters. Scrape down the paddle and bowl, toss in the almonds and mix just to blend.

4. Scrape half the dough onto one side of the baking sheet. Using your fingers and a rubber spatula or scraper, work the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. The log will be more rectangular than domed, and bumpy, rough and uneven. Form a second log with the remaining dough on the other side of the baking sheet.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.

6. Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board and, with a long serrated knife, trim the ends and cut the logs into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet, setting them again on the same sides as before and slide the sheet back into the oven.

7. Bake the biscotti at 350F for another 25 minutes, or until they are golden and firm. Transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.



These biscotti are perfect- I have been so busy baking sweet treats that I really needed something not so sweet that would go just right with a cup of espresso...and this cookie really
is the perfect choice.