Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

The notches form naturally as the biscotti rolls split slightly as they bake.

Biscotti is one of those treats that can be made lots of different ways. But my favorite is a biscotti that has a lot of flavor and is not so high in fat and sugar that it seems like it should be an occasional indulgence. But this biscotti is not diet biscotti either. Gluten free biscotti recipes come out the best if you don't strive for an extremely large cookie slice. The other nice feature is that with smaller biscottis you can serve more than one kind at a time and not have palates get tired of the same taste. A good foil for chocolate hazelnut biscotti would be a lemon almond-anise-biscotti, or one with dried cherries. This not-too-sweet, not-too-rich biscotti has a nice European flavor of cocoa, cinnamon, and hazelnuts.

Not only does biscotti taste good, it is also extremely easy to make. When our kitchen remodel was just studs and drywall, I made biscotti in the Weber barbeque. Biscotti and chocolate chip cookies were about the only two baked goodies that could tolerate the truly uneven and non-regulated heat of a kettle barbeque. This is a recipe that is pretty hard to get wrong, and it is one that older children can make or younger children help with.

And if you notice, gluten free biscotti commands a fairly respectable price at the market.

• Pre-chop the nuts before you begin. You will want fairly small nut-bits that distribute themselves well in the biscotti. If you buy Trader Joe's Chopped Hazel Nuts, you will want to spread them out on a cutting board and chop them more finely.
• Cover a 1/2 sheet jelly roll pan with parchment paper
• This recipe makes up fast, so pre-heat your oven to 350° F.
• Mix together all of the dry ingredients, except the nuts, in a separate bowl. Now in the work bowl of your stand mixer, mix eggs, instant coffee powder that you have dissolved with the water or coffee, oil and vanilla extract.
• Start the mixer and add the dry ingredients (nuts wait until later).
• Mix just enough so that the result is smooth. Now add the nuts, mixing just until incorporated.
• Scoop out half of the cookie batter (will be stiff), shape into a ball and place on the parchment paper. Do the same with the other half.
• Form/roll-out two long snakes of cookie dough, about in inch in diameter and about 12 inches or more long. Position the snakes so that there is about 3 inches of space between each of them as well as about 3 inches to the side of the pan. The dough will expand in diameter, and it may crack. Do not worry as this is normal.
• Bake for 25 - 30 minutes
• When the cookie snakes have baked for the required time, lower the oven temperature to 325° F and remove the cookie snakes to a cooling rack.
• While the cookie snakes are still hot and pliable, remove one to the cutting board, and slice into 1/2" slices, somewhat diagonal to the main axis of the snake. You will get cookie cylinders with an oval shape. Capture the crumbs for later use.
• Move the second snake to the cutting board and place the cooling rack on your jelly roll pan or baking sheet. Using your knife or spatula, place the slices on the cooling rack. Stand the slices on their bottom, leaving room between the slices. There is no reason to lay the slices flat.
• Now, slice the second cookie snake in the same manner.
• Gather up the crumbs, placing them in a heat-proof dish. Everything goes back into the oven for an additional 20 minutes and then is taken out to cool. If you like drier biscotti, turn off the oven, keeping the oven door closed until the oven is completely cooled - 2 hours or so.
• Pack the cooled biscotti in plastic bags or in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.