America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti

By Sam Block

Published on February 3, 2021

Time

1¾ hours, plus 1½ hours cooling

Yield

Makes 30 cookies

Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti

Ingredients

1¼ cups hazelnuts, toasted and skinned, divided1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour ½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder ¼ teaspoon table salt 2 large eggs, plus 1 large white beaten with pinch salt, divided1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled½ teaspoon vanilla extract Vegetable oil spray

Before You Begin

Almonds or pistachios can also be used in place of hazelnuts.

Instructions

  1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Using ruler and pencil, draw two 8 by 3-inch rectangles, spaced 4 inches apart, on piece of parchment paper. Grease baking sheet and place parchment on it, marked side down.
  2.  Pulse 1 cup hazelnuts in food processor until coarsely chopped, 8 to 10 pulses; transfer to bowl and set aside. Process remaining ¼ cup hazelnuts in now-empty processor until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt and process until combined, about 15 seconds. Transfer flour mixture to second bowl.
  3.  Process 2 eggs in again-empty processor until lightened in color and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. With processor running, slowly add sugar until thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Add melted butter and vanilla and process until combined, about 10 seconds. Transfer egg mixture to bowl. Sprinkle half of flour mixture over egg mixture and, using spatula, gently fold until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and chopped hazelnuts and gently fold until just combined.
  4.  Divide dough in half. Using your floured hands, form each half into 8 by 3-inch rectangle, using lines on parchment as guide. Spray each loaf lightly with oil spray. Using rubber spatula lightly coated with oil spray, smooth tops and sides of rectangles. Gently brush tops of rectangles with egg white wash. Bake until loaves are set and beginning to crack on top, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
  5.  Let loaves cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes. Transfer loaves to cutting board. Using serrated knife, slice each loaf on slight bias into ½-inch-thick slices. Lay slices cut side down, about ¼ inch apart on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crisp on both sides, about 35 minutes, flipping slices halfway through baking. Let biscotti cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour, before serving. (Biscotti can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.)
Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Chantal Lambeth.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti

Save

Time

1¾ hours, plus 1½ hours cooling

Yield

Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients

1¼ cups hazelnuts, toasted and skinned, divided
1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, plus 1 large white beaten with pinch salt, divided
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil spray

Ingredients

1¼ cups hazelnuts, toasted and skinned, divided
1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, plus 1 large white beaten with pinch salt, divided
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil spray

Ingredients

1¼ cups hazelnuts, toasted and skinned, divided
1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, plus 1 large white beaten with pinch salt, divided
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil spray

Why This Recipe Works

Chocolate biscotti usually fall short in terms of flavor due to the extra time drying in the oven—and they're often as hard as jawbreakers. Our goal was to develop intensely chocolaty biscotti with a crumb that didn't require hot coffee to soften. To get chocolate into the dough, we started with cocoa powder (plus some espresso powder) because it carries intense chocolate flavor and was easy to incorporate. For a nutty element, we chose complementary hazelnuts. Lightly toasting the nuts gave them roasty flavor to balance the chocolate. In addition, we ground some of the nuts to a fine meal; dispersed throughout the dough, they helped minimize gluten development and therefore that tough, hard texture. Before baking, we brushed the loaves with an egg white, which left a shiny, crackly sheen. These cookies were so rich in flavor, the typical chocolate dip was unnecessary.

Before You Begin

Almonds or pistachios can also be used in place of hazelnuts.

Instructions

  1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Using ruler and pencil, draw two 8 by 3-inch rectangles, spaced 4 inches apart, on piece of parchment paper. Grease baking sheet and place parchment on it, marked side down.
  2.  Pulse 1 cup hazelnuts in food processor until coarsely chopped, 8 to 10 pulses; transfer to bowl and set aside. Process remaining ¼ cup hazelnuts in now-empty processor until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt and process until combined, about 15 seconds. Transfer flour mixture to second bowl.
  3.  Process 2 eggs in again-empty processor until lightened in color and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. With processor running, slowly add sugar until thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Add melted butter and vanilla and process until combined, about 10 seconds. Transfer egg mixture to bowl. Sprinkle half of flour mixture over egg mixture and, using spatula, gently fold until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and chopped hazelnuts and gently fold until just combined.
  4.  Divide dough in half. Using your floured hands, form each half into 8 by 3-inch rectangle, using lines on parchment as guide. Spray each loaf lightly with oil spray. Using rubber spatula lightly coated with oil spray, smooth tops and sides of rectangles. Gently brush tops of rectangles with egg white wash. Bake until loaves are set and beginning to crack on top, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
  5.  Let loaves cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes. Transfer loaves to cutting board. Using serrated knife, slice each loaf on slight bias into ½-inch-thick slices. Lay slices cut side down, about ¼ inch apart on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crisp on both sides, about 35 minutes, flipping slices halfway through baking. Let biscotti cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour, before serving. (Biscotti can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.)

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.