Peanut Butter & Chocolate Biscotti

It’s Day 5 of the 12 Days of Christmas, and we’re talking biscotti; the twice baked Italian cookies that you’ve probably seen sold in popular coffee shops or speciality grocery stores.

I feel like biscotti is one of those desserts/treats that people either hate or love, and that’s probably based on the texture and flavors.

Because they’re twice baked, biscotti are an intentionally very crunchy and dry cookie/biscuit that pair very well with coffee or tea, both for their oblong shape and their texture that makes them ideal for dunking in the hot liquid.

It’s another one of those recipes that I think of being as a Blank Canvas in that, it’s very adaptable and accommodating to introduce a host of other flavors and mix-ins. Put another way, there’s a biscotti recipe out there to suit just about everyone.

I made my first batch of biscotti many years ago, and like today’s recipe, I shared it on the blog. Because it was my first time, it was a plain vanilla Blank Canvas recipe with no mix-ins or additions. Even by itself, I liked the results so much that I decided I would continue to broaden my biscotti horizons. This has resulted in a number of other delicious renditions that I’ve shared before on the blog (Snickerdoodle Biscotti, Chocolate Chip Cookie Biscotti, Ginger Biscotti, Gingerbread Biscotti).

Today, we’re adding to that collection.

Chocolate and peanut butter is a combination that is a sure-fire win in desserts; it’s very, very difficult to mess up and it’s pretty much guaranteed to taste good. Biscotti’s no exception to that, and I actually think it’s a recipe tailor-made for the pairing for a few reasons.

First, the oil in peanut butter works really well to not only give the biscotti flavor, but to keep the dough from getting too dry and crumbling. Peanut butter and chocolate are also two ingredients whose flavors will only get stronger the longer they have to settle, which biscotti needs to achieve it’s crunchy/crisp texture.

These turned out great, not just as an addition to this year’s 12 Days of Christmas, or because they’re delicious cookies, but because they also ship PERFECTLY and keep for a very long time, which makes them ideal for cookie boxes and gift-exchanges.

And yes, they’re the perfect accompaniment to coffee/tea.

Day 1: Holiday Style- Biscuits & Gravy

Day 2: Cranberry Pie Bars

Day 3: Pryaniki

Day 4: Iced Lemon Gingerbread Cakes

Day 5: Peanut Butter & Chocolate Biscotti

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Biscotti

Recipe Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup crunchy (or smooth, it’s up to you) peanut butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups honey roasted peanuts
1 1/4 cups chopped semi sweet chocolate or chocolate chunks (about 6 ounces)

Directions

Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Continue to cook until the butter browns and gets a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar while beating. Then slowly add the butter and vanilla until evenly mixed, about 30 seconds more. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.

While mixing slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 2 additions, mixing just until absorbed. Fold in the peanuts and chocolate pieces.

Divide the dough evenly into thirds, and put each portion in the center of a baking sheet. Shape the dough with slightly wet hands into logs about 2-inches wide and 15 inches long.

Spray the logs lgihtly wiht cooking spray, then sprinkle the tops with white sugar.

Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. (For even baking take care to rotate the pans– top to bottom and front to back–about half way though.) Cool logs on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut logs crosswise, with a long serrated knife at about a 45 degree angle, into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Cool biscotti on the baking sheets.