Skip to main content

Too Much Chocolate!

In preparation for the holidays when both girls were at home, and we would be foraging for interesting treats in the kitchen, I bought massive amounts of groceries. In most cases, I planned correctly and didn't have a lot of leftover ingredients, but in others I went hog wild for no apparent reason. I had bought way too much buttermilk and now have a one-quart container in the fridge—what to do. I'll be using most of it to brine a chicken, but I used some this morning to make biscuits. I also miscalculated heavily on the amount of chocolate we would need, and now I have bars and bars of Ghiradelli dark and semi-sweet stacked up. Good thing it keeps.

Yesterday, I decided to use some of that up in biscotti. I had intended to make this the week of Christmas and never found the time, so now I have a batch for no special occasion. Correction—for the occasion of enjoying a biscotti with a mid-morning coffee break all by myself. I love the stuff.



Chocolate-Cherry Biscotti

1 3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
semisweet chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 300˚. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Place one quarter of the flour mixture and the chocolate pieces in a food processor and process until fine. Combine with remaining flour mixture and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together eggs, egg whites, sugar, vanilla and almond extract until frothy. Slowly stir in flour mixture and dried cherries.

Spoon batter into three 12-2 1/2 inch rectangles about 3 inches apart (2 on one cookie sheet, and 1 on the other). Even out the shapes with a wet knife. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Cut each rectangle into 1/2-inch diagonal slices and place them cut side down on baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn and bake 12 more minutes. Cool on wire racks and drizzle with melted chocolate.

Comments

dive said…
Oh, my!
4:54 AM
savannah said…
i HAVE to make these!!!! xoxoxo
10:54 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Classic Green Bean Bake

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, I feel I must post a recipe with plenty of good old American tradition. The classic Green Bean Bake was invented in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly, a home economist who worked for the Campbell's Soup Company. A study was done determining that 50% of all Americans have eaten the classic Green Bean Bake, and 38% of those believe it is best served during the holidays, mainly Thanksgiving. So, for the other 50% and for those in other countries where this dish may be unfamiliar--my treat: The Classic Green Bean Bake serves 6 to 8 1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon soy sauce Dash of fresh pepper 1 20-oz. bag frozen cut green beans, thawed* 1 2.8 oz can French-fried onions -Preheat the oven to 350 F -In a casserole dish, combine the soup, milk, soy sauce and pepper. Stir in the green beans and half of the onions. -Bake until bubbling, about 25 minutes. Top with the remaining onions and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve hot. *Or cook 1 ...
7 comments
Read more

Bring On the Bombs

In today's edition : I generally try to keep on top of cultural trends even if I don’t adopt them, but there is a growing movement that I have only just discovered. Not long ago, I was walking along in Berkeley, California while visiting my daughter, and I saw a signpost that had been covered with yarn, like someone had sewn a knitted scarf to it. It was colorful and randomly striped, and I pointed it out as if it were the most unusual thing in the world. That’s when my daughter explained the nature of what is known as yarn bombing. It’s when knitters attach something they’ve created to a public object, most often doing their deed stealthily and anonymously. They leave a “bomb,” so to speak, for no other purpose than to brighten up the place and to bring a little cheer to those passing by. Their work has been equated with graffiti, except that the woven yarn is not permanently installed and does no damage to the object it covers. And instead of signifying the territory of a street ...
2 comments
Read more

Cindy Loo Who In October

What is it with people and Cindy Loo Who? Of my last one hundred blog hits, forty have been direct visits from regular readers, and fifteen have been as a result of people searching for "Cindy Loo Who," the little pixie from Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas . A couple of years ago, I posted an image of the original Seuss illustration as compared to the TV cartoon image, and for some reason, that post is bringing in the crowds, relatively. Maybe it's the weather. It isn't even November yet, and already we've had frost and have had to dust off our winter coats. When it gets cold like this, I start to think about Christmasy things like listening to Nat King Cole and decorating the tree. It's ironic because I am offended when retailers start pushing holiday stuff early, but I don't mind my own private celebrations. When my sister and I were much younger and still living with our parents, we would pick a day in July, close the curtains to darken the ...
8 comments
Read more