Chocolate, pistachio and hazelnut biscotti

Biscotti are twice baked (once as a loaf and then a second time as slices) to make for one incredibly crunchy, sweet cookie that just begs to be dunked into hot coffee or tea. The absence of any butter or oils in the mixture means you can definitely have more than one.

The original recipe in the Fisher & Paykel cookbook called for almonds or hazelnuts, but I am a pretty serious pistachio fan so I couldn’t resist throwing some of them in. The bright green of the nuts really pops against the dark chocolate cookie.

This recipe makes plenty of cookies – keep them in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks – although don’t expect them to hang around long, they are incredibly more-ish!

Ingredients

makes 40 – 60 biscotti

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• 3 eggs
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ¾ cups flour
• ¼ cup cocoa (use the very best quality you can afford, it does make a difference)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ cup whole hazelnuts, shelled
• ½ cup whole pistachios, shelled

Method

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• Preheat oven to 175°C on fan bake
• 1. In a large bowl beat together eggs, sugar and vanilla extract.
• 2. In a separate medium-sized bowl sieve together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder.
• 3. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture along with the nuts. Mix to a soft dough, gathering the last bits together with your hands.
• 4. Turn out onto a work surface and kneed briefly until it forms a ball.
• 5. Divide into two pieces and roll each into a log around 30cm (12 inches) long.
• 6. Flatten to 2 ½ cm (1 inch) thick and place on a lined baking tray.
• 7. Bake for 25 minutes or until the logs are firm to the touch. The tops may crack.
• 8. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 160°C. Cool the logs on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes.
• 9. On a chopping board use a serrated knife to cut the logs into diagonal slices about 3/4cm (1/3 inch) thick. You should end up with 40-60 slices.
• 10. Arrange the slices on two baking trays and return to the oven for 15 minutes to dry out.
• Cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container.