I have never been a coffee drinker, but I do love the smell of it, especially (for some odd, inexplicable reason) mixed with the smell of European cigarettes. It reminds me of Paris cafes and old, cramped bookstores. There is something comforting about it. I will never enjoy the taste of it, however. Even a sugary mocha latte from Starbucks is too much coffee for me. Instead, my choice is tea. We are nearing the end of tea season around here. I know there isn’t really a tea “season”, but I can never get myself to make it when it nears 100 degrees in the summer. I’m trying to enjoy it for as long as I can. The best possible addition to tea is anything with chocolate on it. I first learned this little tidbit when I was introduced to chocolate-covered digestives. Dipping them into a hot cup of Earl Grey or English Breakfast just long enough to melt the chocolate, but not long enough so that the cookie breaks apart, is pure heaven. I was sold on the first bite. Since then I have tried many things dipped in my tea, but nothing compares to some sort of cookie with that smooth, sweet, luxurious ganache coating the top. I have found recently that biscotti is even better than digestives for dipping in tea. They stay fairly crunchy, there is less risk of them falling apart in your cup, and yet they still soak up the tea and warm up the chocolate. This recipe is especially delicious because of the added hazelnuts… they taste like a crunchy Nutella bar. And who doesn’t like that?
Cinnamon Hazelnut Biscotti
[recipe from Allrecipes]
3/4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hazelnuts
1/2 bag chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Cream together butter and sugar in a medium bowl until fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
In a small bowl, blend the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Add to the egg mixture and blend together, being careful not to over mix. Stir in the hazelnuts.
Divide the dough in half, shaping each into two equal logs about 12 inches long. Place logs on the baking sheets and flatten to about a half inch.
Bake for 30 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the center is firm. Remove from the oven and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, slice them diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices and put the slices directly on the oven’s center rack.
Bake for about 10 more minutes. While cooling, melt the chocolate over a double-boiler. Pour into a Ziploc bag, snipping off a small corner. Drizzle over the cooled biscotti. Once the chocolate hardens, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
