Chocolate Biscotti
Inspired by techniques from King Arthur Baking, America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
These chocolate biscotti follow the classic almond biscotti method, with cocoa swapped in for some of the flour, a touch more sugar, fewer almonds and chocolate chunks folded through — judge doneness by the firm, cracked top rather than colour, since the dark dough makes golden edges hard to spot.
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Method
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Equipment
- large metal baking tray lined with baking paper
- large bowl and whisk
- serrated bread knife
- wire rack
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 117 kcal |
| Protein | 2.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 16.9 g |
| of which sugars | 9 g |
| of which free sugars | 8.8 g |
| Fat | 5 g |
| of which saturates | 2 g |
| Fibre | 1.2 g |
| Salt | 0.17 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 30 servings
Dough
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 210 g caster sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla
- 3 g fine sea salt or table salt about ½ tsp
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 250 g plain flour
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 30 g cocoa powder sifted
- 100 g whole blanched almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
- 100 g dark chocolate chips or chunks
- 1
Heat the oven. Set the oven to 175°C (155°C fan) and let it heat for at least 20 minutes with a shelf in the middle. This recipe follows the same two-bake method as classic almond biscotti, but with cocoa replacing some of the flour and chocolate chunks standing in for most of the almonds. Because the dark dough won't turn visibly golden, you'll need to rely on texture and timing rather than colour to judge doneness.
- 2
Whisk eggs and sugar. Whisk the eggs, caster sugar, vanilla and salt together for about a minute until smooth and lightly frothy, then whisk in the cooled melted butter. The slightly higher sugar content in this version balances the bitterness of the cocoa. Whisking well at this stage dissolves the sugar evenly through the mixture.
- 3
Bring in the dry ingredients. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder until a soft, sticky dough forms, then fold in the chopped almonds and chocolate chunks. Mix just until everything is evenly distributed, as overmixing at this point can toughen the crumb. The dough will look darker and slightly stiffer than a plain biscotti dough.
- 4
Shape two logs. With damp hands, shape the dough into two logs on the lined tray, each about 25 x 6 cm and 2 cm high, spaced roughly 8 cm apart. Keeping your hands wet stops the sticky, chocolatey dough from sticking to your fingers as you shape it. The gap matters, since both logs spread outwards as they bake.
- 5
First bake. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops feel firm and have just started to crack across the surface. Because the cocoa masks the usual golden colour cue, lean on the firm, cracked top and the timing to tell you the logs are ready. Those surface cracks show the dough has set enough right through to slice cleanly.
- 6
Cool before slicing. Let the logs cool on the tray for 20-25 minutes before cutting. Slice them too soon and the warm crumb will crumble; wait until they're fully cold and they turn brittle enough to shatter instead. This resting window is when the logs are firm but not yet hardened, which makes for the cleanest cut.
- 7
Lower the oven and slice. Reduce the oven to 150°C (130°C fan) for the second bake. On a board, cut each log on the diagonal into 1.5 cm slices with a serrated knife, using a gentle sawing motion so the chocolate chunks don't tear the crumb as you cut. Diagonal slices also give you a larger surface area to dry out in the next step.
- 8
Second bake to dry out. Stand or lay the slices back on the tray and bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once, until they feel dry and firm rather than soft when pressed. This slower, lower-temperature bake drives out the remaining moisture for a proper biscotti snap. Again, judge by feel rather than colour, since the cocoa keeps the surface dark throughout.
- 9
Cool completely. Move the slices to a wire rack and leave them to cool fully. They firm up noticeably as they cool, so don't worry if they still feel slightly soft straight out of the oven. Makes about 30 biscotti.
Storage
Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. These also freeze well for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature before serving.
