Black Forest Biscotti

I was never much of a biscotti fan until I had it homemade from my friend Eriko's house (who is an excellent cook, especially when it comes to sweets!). It's slightly more soft then what you would buy at the store or a coffee house. As I was thumbing through my Moosewood cookbook one day I found two biscotti recipes that looked great! I have made almond biscotti a few times, which was delicious, but last night I thought it was time to try the black forest! It is super easy and looks exactly the way it should!

Black Forest Biscotti
Recipe from Moosewood Restaurant, New Classics

1/2 cup dried cherries
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter, at room temp.
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure almond extract
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 cups plus 2 TB unbleached white four
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly oil a baking sheet.

In a small saucepan, heat the cherries and water just to boiling, and then remove from the heat and set aside. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and well combined. Blend in the eggs and almond and vanilla extracts. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drain the cherries, place them on a paper towel to absorb any extra moisture, and then stir them into the egg mixture.

In a separate bowl, sift together the four, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. With a rubber spatula, fold in the wet ingredients until the dough is uniform and holds together when pressed with lightly floured hands.

Use the spatula and your floured hands to scoop the dough onto the oiled baking sheet. Form the dough into a 12 inch x 3 inch diameter log shape; then press down on the log, flattening it to a thickness of about an inch. The length and width of the flattened log should be about 14 x 4 inches.

Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the dough is firm and just lightly brown. Remove from the oven and transfer the log to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slice crosswise into 3/4 inch pieces. Lay each biscotti cut side up on the baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes on each side, using tongs to flip them. Cool completely on a rack and then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.