House Cookie

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have found myself a house cookie. Some people have house wines, or house beers or even house dishes. I, evidently, have a house cookie. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Look, biscotti doesn't have the best reputation. I mean, it doesn't have a bad reputation, but it's also sometimes overlooked in favor of other cookies that feature things like butter. Who needs butter? But when it come down to it, I couldn't ask for a better house cookie. Biscotti is like that geeky girl/guy at the party in the corner. And let's face it, this isn't a 90's teenaged rom-com, there's no magical makeover. He/she will never be popular or fashionable, but if you get to talking, you will realize that they're actually pretty cool and smart and funny and dependable. Yup. That's biscotti: dependably delicious.
I used to make biscotti a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. There was this one summer back when I was living in Chicago, when I think I made biscotti at least once a week. I liked that I could play around with it. I would throw in whatever spices/dried fruit/nut combo I felt like and see what happened. Usually good stuff happened. Somehow, at some point I stopped making biscotti so often. This is something I regret.
Now, they are my house cookie. My go-to. My dependable friend.


David Lebovitz's chocolate biscotti are all kinds of wonderful.  And yes, there are those of you who might say, but biscotti should have almond flavor and nuts! What is this chocolate nonsense? Well, chill-out, you biscotti purists. There is almond extract. There are nuts. Relax. Just relax. Sit down. Have a cup of coffee. Have something to eat with- maybe some biscotti? It's the house cookie.

David Lebovitz's Chocolate Biscotti

From David Lebovitz

2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
120 grams dark chocolate, chopped (or 3/4 cup chocolate chips)
2 tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the three eggs, sugar and the extracts. Add the dry ingredients, then the almonds and the chocolate. Mix until the dough holds together.

2. Divide the dough into two. Roll dough into two logs, about the length of a baking sheet. Transfer to a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Beat the remaining egg. Brush the logs with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 25 minutes.

3. Remove logs from oven, but don't turn it off. Let the logs cool for about 15 minutes, then using a serrated knife, diagonally cut the biscotti into 1/2-inch slices. Lay the cookies down on baking sheets and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until hard. Remove from oven and cool. The biscotti will last up to two weeks when stored in an airtight container.