dark chocolate dipped chocolate chip biscotti

that's right. i'm giving you a double dose of chocolate this week. i have been on a serious biscotti kick every since i made THESE BISCOTTI from joy the baker. i've whipped them up for photo shoots, ladies gift baskets and they are going in my annual basket of christmas goodies i give as gifts (whoops, ruined the surprise).

i've experimented with a plethora of different flavor combinations, but i just keep coming back to this double chocolate stunner. this is the perfect unexpected but delicious treat to give at your last minute cookie exchanges, for your coworkers you don't know what to get or just for yourself to dunk into your coffee at christmas morning. i even gave mine a  pretty coat of some edible paint (shop edible paint HERE) to fancy them up when giving them as gifts. 

dark chocolate dipped chocolate chip biscotti

serves: 2 dozen biscotti

prep time: 20 minutes

bake time: 45 minutes

time to dip: 30 minutes

total time: 2 hours 

ingredients: 3 cups all purpose flour.  1 tsp baking powder. .75 tsp kosher salt. .5 cup room temperature butter. .75 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 2 tsp vanilla extract. 1.5 cups semi sweet chocolate. 8 oz dark chocolate. 1 glass or heat proof bowl. 1 pot of water. parchment paper. baking sheet. rubber spatula. 

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start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. in the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar till it is light in color and well combined. about 2 minutes. combine the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
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add your eggs in to the mixture one at a time. after each one, push down the edges of batter down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
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add in the vanilla extract.
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pour in all the dry ingredients at once and mix on low until the dough comes together.
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dump in your chocolate chips and mix on slow till just combined.

line your baking sheet with parchment paper. make two dough logs so that your biscotti will be the size you like. i like mine 6-7 inches long (i like a big biscotti).  bake until the edges of your logs begins to turn golden. 20-25 minutes. turn the oven down to 300 degrees f. 

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allow the biscotti to rest for 20 minutes. using a serrated knife, slice your log into .75-1 inch thick slices. lay each slice on its side and bake for an additional 15 minutes. 20 if you like them really crunchy. now you have a choice. if you DON'T want to dip yours in chocolate which is a perfectly respectable decision. BUT if you do want to go that extra mile, allow your biscotti to cool to room temp. while they are cooling, set up a double boiler. if you are not familiar with a double boiler or tempering (melting) chocolate, HERE IS A GREAT VIDEO. if you are, great! get that dark chocolate melting. when the biscotti have cooled, lay out some extra parchment paper. dip one end of each biscotti into the melted chocolate and using a spoon, gently coat the dipped end in an even layer of dark chocolate.

allow the excess chocolate to drip off and then set the biscotti on parchment to dry. allow the chocolate to harden completely (about 20-30 minutes, quicker if you pop them in the fridge) and enjoy or store in an airtight container till you are ready to use them. you can store them for a week or so before they stale. 
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xo, a

dark chocolate dipped chocolate chip biscotti

serves: 2 dozen biscotti

prep time: 20 minutes

bake time: 45 minutes

time to dip: 30 minutes

total time: 2 hours 

ingredients: 3 cups all purpose flour.  1 tsp baking powder. .75 tsp kosher salt. .5 cup room temperature butter. .75 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 2 tsp vanilla extract. 1.5 cups semi sweet chocolate. 8 oz dark chocolate. 1 glass or heat proof bowl. 1 pot of water. parchment paper. baking sheet. rubber spatula. 

start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. in the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar till it is light in color and well combined. about 2 minutes. combine the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. add your eggs in to the mixture one at a time. after each one, push down the edges of batter down the sides  of the bowl with a rubber spatula. add in the vanilla extract. pour in all the dry ingredients at once and mix on low until the dough comes together. dump in your chocolate chips and mix on slow till just combined. line your baking sheet with parchment paper. make two dough logs so that your biscotti will be the size you like. i like mine 6-7 inches long (i like a big biscotti).  bake until the edges of your logs begins to turn golden. 20-25 minutes. turn the oven down to 300 degrees f. allow the biscotti to rest for 20 minutes. using a serrated knife, slice your log into .75-1 inch thick slices. lay each slice on its side and bake for an additional 15 minutes. 20 if you like them really crunchy. now you have a choice. if you DON'T want to dip yours in chocolate which is a perfectly respectable decision. BUT if you do want to go that extra mile, allow your biscotti to cool to room temp. while they are cooling, set up a double boiler. if you are not familiar with a double boiler or tempering (melting) chocolate, HERE IS A GREAT VIDEO. if you are, great! get that dark chocolate melting. when the biscotti have cooled, lay out some extra parchment paper. dip one end of each biscotti into the melted chocolate and using a spoon, gently coat the dipped end in an even layer of dark chocolate. allow the excess chocolate to drip off and then set the biscotti on parchment to dry. allow the chocolate to harden completely (about 20-30 minutes, quicker if you pop them in the fridge) and enjoy or store in an airtight container till you are ready to use them. you can store them for a week or so before they really stale. 

friyay happy hour: cranberry + gin mule

so in the midst of this holiday season, myself and my little elves (my friends lindsey & jeanelle) have been working away to pump out some REALLY COOL new stuff over at newfoodtuesdayz headquarters (my kitchen & couch). 

first and foremost, before i start gushing about all that is exciting and new, i have to take a second to thank the aforementioned elves for all their time, support, creative energy and technical expertise. with out their talents, neither of the projects i have bene working on would have been possible.

now, on to the goods. the first announcement you may have already noticed. newfoodtuesdayz has gotten a little makeover. there are new RECIPE GALLERIES, there is more information about newfoodtuesdayz and how to work with me, but most importantly, cakes can now be ORDERED ONLINE. and cakes are just the beginning. not only is the launch of our online shop an incredible way to order your cakes, it is the best way to order my next announcement. 

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU! A CAKE CALENDAR IS NOW FOR SALE!!!!!!!!!!

my amazing friend & insanely talented photographer, lindsey johnston, photographed and designed the layout of the calendar and we shot the whole thing in three weeks. it was a crazy idea that we came up with WAY late in the year, but we did it and it is BEAUTIFUL. you can purchase it HERE

now to top off all the sweet, SWEET goodness i just dropped on you, i will leave you with a cocktail that won't disappoint. 

cranberry + ginger mule
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 1 minute
total time: 2 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin. 1 oz lemon juice. 5 oz ginger beer. 1 cup ice. sugar for the glass. candied cranberries for garnish.  

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start by gently brushing the edge of your serving glass with a bit of lemon juice.

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dip the sticky edges of your glass into the sugar to lightly frost the glass.

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add in your ice. pour in the gin and lemon juice.

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top it off with the ginger beer.  

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garnish with candied cranberries and serve.

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xo, a
cranberry + ginger mule
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 1 minute
total time: 2 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin. 1 oz lemon juice. 5 oz ginger beer. 1 cup ice. sugar for the glass. candied cranberries for garnish.
start by gently brushing the edge of your serving glass with a bit of lemon juice. dip the sticky edges of your glass into the sugar to lightly frost the glass. add in your ice. pour in the gin and lemon juice. top it off with the ginger beer. garnish with candied cranberries and serve.