Chocolate Chunk Biscotti ~ The Perfect Holiday Treat

Chocolate lovers and biscotti fans, raise your hands! This decadent treat will make everyone in your family, happy campers. Learn how to make Chocolate Chunk Biscotti here.

Temptation, thy name is Biscotti.

Who can resist the crunchy, sweet, buttery goodness of fresh Biscotti cookies?

Maybe you have that superpower, but I sure don’t!

Every year at Christmas I make batch after batch of an amazing chocolate chunk version to put in my goodie baskets.

It’s easier than you might think and way better than most of what you get at the store.

Of course, if it’s homemade Biscotti it’s got to be better, right?

I like to put a bag of these beauties in a basket with some homemade cappuccino mix and some spoons dipped in melted chocolate, add a festive ribbon and gift tag and, voila!

The perfect gift for the chocoholics in your life.

Friends and family really love this recipe and look forward to it every year.

Check out some more of our favorite holiday recipes: Bishop’s Bread, Baklava and No-Knead Sourdough Brioche.

Biscotti comes to us from Italy. Not in the scrumptious flavors and chocolate dipped form we enjoy now a days, though.

Originally, they were a baked flat bread flavored with almonds that was cut thin and baked a second time to dehydrate it completely.

Because they were dry, biscotti lasted a very long time and were found in every market through out that region of the world. They were a staple for travelers and even fed the ancient Roman legions!

I looked at several different (modern) recipes before coming up with this one. One of the things I love the most about baking is that you can customize anything to suit your own tastes.

And even though I’ve tweaked it to make it a little better for you, I do need to put in this disclaimer: THIS RECIPE DOES NOT EVEN REMOTELY RESEMBLE, IN ANY WAY, A HEALTHY FOOD.

So, you know, pace yourself. 

Now that you’ve read the warning label, let’s learn how to make Biscotti!

Chocolate Chunk Biscotti Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons homemade vanilla extract
• 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp instant coffee
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chunks (these are soy free)

NOTE: Chocolate chunks are getting hard to find, so feel free to substitute chocolate chips instead. Of course, then this would be chocolate chip biscotti recipe instead of chocolate chunk biscotti recipe, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

Instructions

To get things started, toss the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Cream the butter and sugar until it’s all light and fluffy.

Then, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Adding them one by one makes sure that they are incorporated well.

Now beat in the vanilla.

In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, instant coffee, baking soda, and salt, mixing well.

Then add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time, beating well between each addition.

And finally, add the chocolate chunks to the dough and mix them in with a spoon until they are evenly distributed.

And if some of the chunks jump out of the bowl and head for the hills, you are duty bound to eat them.

Totally judgement free zone here.

Forming the dough

When you’ve got all the chocolate bits mixed in, at least the ones that are left anyway, divide the dough into 4 equal(ish) pieces.

Now it’s time to prepare your baking sheets.

Generously smear butter all over 2 cookie sheets. Then sprinkle a thin even(ish) layer of flour on top of the butter. OR cover your baking sheet with parchment paper.

This will make sure that your dough doesn’t stick while it’s in the oven.

Now, take one of those quarters of dough and quickly shape it into a rough rectangle.

On each cookie sheet pat out 2 of those rough dough rectangles into logs about 1/2-inch high, 1 1/2-inches wide, and 14-inches long(ish).

Have you noticed there are a lot of (ish)s today? Baking is so forgiving!

Make sure the dough logs are at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

Baking the Biscotti

1st Bake

While the dough is getting all mixed up, preheat your oven to 325° F.

Bake your biscotti logs for about 25 minutes or until they are a light golden brown.

After they have finished baking, carefully slide them onto a cooling rack and let them cool for about 5 minutes.

They will be quite soft still, so be careful! I almost always break at least one of them getting them onto the wire rack.

After they’ve cooled off a bit and you can handle them without burning your fingers, slide the logs onto a cutting board. Again, slide carefully!

Using a serrated knife, slice the logs on a diagonal into 1/2 inch wide pieces.

2nd Bake

Now, place slices back on the cookie sheet cut sides down about 1/2 inch apart and put them back in the oven for 10 minutes.

I don’t always get the very end pieces to fit back on the cookie sheet.

There’s usually someone around to take care of those pesky pieces, though! 

After those 10 minutes in the oven, put them back on the cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

You should always let your Biscotti cookies cool completely before you store them. And they should be stored in an airtight container to keep them crisp.

They also freeze beautifully. Just take them out, let them thaw, and serve.

And if you really want to get wild and crazy, you can melt some chocolate and dip one end in that liquid heaven. Oh my!

Sometimes my children just don’t know what to do with me…

Pour yourself a cup of your favorite hot beverage and nibble on one (or two) of these amazing Biscotti cookies while you sip it. Heaven, I tell you!

Blessings!

What kind of biscotti is your favorite? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Frequently Asked Questions About Biscotti

More delightful dessert recipes you should try: