Chocolate and Cashew Biscotti

Anything chocolate goes so well for the festive season. I have been packing up edible treats to give away to family and friends and apart from the fruit cake, these chocolate biscotti is making into every treat bag. I don't know when will I succeed cutting down all those extra pounds already added and to be added this month. By the time I would exercise and diet to bring it down, it will be Christmas again .. he he.. But I must say it is just the happiest time of the year for me and I would just put away the worry of shedding down the gained pounds.

These chocolate biscotti's are good for any time of the year. Just dunk it into you coffee and enjoy or have it as is. They are super yum. And that extra crunch from those cashews is just a bonus, so don't miss out on that part. You could try walnuts or pecans or pistachios for a change.

With every batch of fruit cake that I made, these too were baked. They are so easy and fail safe that you cannot go wrong on this one. Just try and let me know if you too enjoyed it.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter
2. 3/4 cup of sugar
3. zest of a lemon
4. 2 eggs
5. 1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
6. 1/4 cup of cocoa powder
7. 1/4 tsp of salt
8. About 1/2 cup of cashews

Method

• In a bowl, take the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat it untill combined.
• Add the eggs and beat it well. 
• In another bowl, take the all purpose flour, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk it to distribute the ingredients evenly.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix it again to form a sticky dough form. Add the cashews to this dough and fold it in, trying to distribute it evenly.
• Flour your kitchen counter top and transfer the dough on to it. Roll it into a thick flat log shape about 12 inches long, 3 inches wide and 1 inch in thickness. 
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake it for about 35 minutes, until it is firm to touch but still not cooked completely.
• Remove it from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes to cool down a little. 
• Now place the dough log on to a cutting board to slice it into biscotti of about 1/2 inch thickness.
• Line them on the baking sheet and bake it for 8-10 minutes. Turn the slices over and then bake it again for another 8-10 minutes.
• Remove it from the oven and let it cool before you store it in air tight containers.

Tips

1. If using salted butter, do not add salt separately.
2. Experiment by adding nuts of your choice.
3. Do not over bake the biscotti. It should just get cooked. If you over bake them, it might get hard to take a bite.