Double Chocolate Chunk Biscotti

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I have to admit that� I am a chocoholic. When I look for new dessert recipes the chocolate ones always catch my eye first. I eat a well balanced diet but I still crave chocolate, candy, brownies, pie, cookies.

This chocolately and crisp cookie makes a yummy� afternoon snack dipped in a glass of cold milk or� a dessert with a cup of hot tea or coffee. This cookie is a delicious addition to your holiday baking and cookie exchange.

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup Watkins Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces white baking bar, coarsely chopped
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons shortening (optional)
2 ounces semisweet chocolate or white baking bar, coarsely chopped (optional)

1. Grease a large cookie sheet; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder; beat until combined. Beat in eggs. Beat in as much flour as you can. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in the 4 ounces white baking bar and the 3 ounces semisweet chocolate.
2. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 9-inch-long roll. Place rolls 4 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet; flatten rolls slightly to 2 inches wide.
3. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean. Cool on cookie sheet on a wire rack for 1 hour. Using a serrated knife, cut each roll diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lay slice, one cut side down, on an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake slices in a 325 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Turn slices over and bake 7 to 9 minutes more or until slices are dry and crisp. (Do not overbake.) Transfer to a wire rack; cool.
5. If desired, in a heavy small saucepan combine the shortening and the 2 ounces semisweet chocolate or white baking bar. Cook and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Drizzle over tops of biscotti. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week. Makes 32 biscotti.

Nutrition facts per serving
calories: 97 total fat: 4g saturated fat: 3g cholesterol: 20mg sodium: 53mg carbohydrate: 13g fiber: 0g protein: 2g vitamin A: 25% vitamin C: 0% calcium: 3% iron: 1%

Did You Know?

Chocolate comes from the the Cacao tree,� an “American” plant, probably of Amazonian origin. The pods of the tree are about the size of a football. They develop on the bark, or on large branches, from flowers. Trees do not produce cocoa beans until they are about 3 or 4 years old and do not become real producers for as much as 10 years. They are relatively delicate plants, grow to about 20 feet in height, and must be harvested from the ground. The pods themselves are filled with a white pulp, and beans which contain nibs, from which the chocolate is made.

The cocoa beans are ground to form a paste called chocolate liquor. This chocolate liquor is hardened into molds to form baking chocolate (bitter chocolate).

Cocoa butter is the vegetable fat component of chocolate. Cocoa powder is formed by pressing out the cocoa butter from the liquor and crushing it.

Sweet chocolate, used for eating, is formed by mixing sugar and additional cocoa butter to the chocolate liquor. Adding concentrated milk to sweet chocolate results in Milk Chocolate.

In 1876 Daniel Peter & Henri Nestle created milk chocolate, by combining chocolate with sweetened condensed milk, an invention of Henri Nestle. This opened up a whole new era of chocolate

White Chocolate is a blend of cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and other flavors, but does not contain any actual chocolate solids.

Carob is similar in appearance to cocoa but actually comes from the bean-like pod of an evergreen tree called Eratonia Siliqua which is native to the Eastern Mediterranean. Nutritionally, cocoa can contain up 23% fat and 5% sugar, where carob has .7% fat and about 45% natural sugar. Carob also does not contain any of the caffeine found in chocolate.

Types of Chocolate

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - Roasted ground cacao beans with most of the cocoa butter removed. It is light in color and has a strong chocolate flavor.

Dutch Process Cocoa Powder - This is unsweetened cocoa that has been treated with an alkali to reduce some of the chocolate’s natural harshness. It is important to know that because dutched cocoa is more alkaline, it will react differently in recipes. Don’t substitute dutched cocoa for regular cocoa. Hershey’s European Style Cocoa is a dutched cocoa that is available in many supermarkets.

Unsweetened Chocolate - Also known as baking chocolate. It is pure chocolate with no additives like milk solids or sugar.

Bittersweet Chocolate - Contains at least 35% chocolate liquor. It has cocoa butter, sugar, a flavoring [usually vanilla], and lecithin added.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate - This chocolate is very similar to its bittersweet cousin; however, the chocolate liquor content can vary between 15-35%. It also has more sugar. Semi-sweet chocolate and bittersweet chocolate can be used interchangeably in recipes.

Milk Chocolate - A mixture of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and flavoring. It consists of approximately 10% chocolate liquor and 12% whole milk. It is seldom used in baking.

White Chocolate - We call this chocolate, but it isn’t actually chocolate because it has no chocolate liquor. This product consists of cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar, lecithin, and vanilla.

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Eleisia Whitney has a Watkins Home Business. She enjoys cooking and baking with Watkins extracts, spices, herbs, and sauces for healthy meals. Eleisia publishes a Watkins Newsletter, “Around the Kitchen Table,” that brings you recipes, cooking and health tips, and contests for free Watkins products. Visit her at http://www.everydaynecessities.com

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Written by Eleisia · Filed Under Recipes & Tips