How do you go about eating chocolate with your breakfast without feeling guilty about it? Well, to me, that means I have to bake it into a biscotti! Biscotti are perfectly dry, not too sweet cookies that compliment your coffee because they become one with your morning jolt of caffeine. I love when you dunk them and they take on a coffee flavor, so I feel like the flavors of your biscotti have to be mellow and warm. This Almond and Espresso Chunk biscotti meets this to a T because the chocolate from the espresso beans gets slightly melty, and the espresso beans burst with that rich coffee taste while you’re drinking coffee!
Here’s a little penny-pincher tip! If you have a Trader Joe’s available to you, buy their dark chocolate covered espresso beans! They are such a bargain and they will last you through several cookie recipes or snack attacks without hurting your wallet. They are the most affordable chocolate covered espresso beans I have seen! Plus, they’re dark chocolate!
(Yum!)
Almond and Espresso Chunk Biscotti
(makes 12 biscotti)
1 cup white flour
¼ cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 egg white
½ cup Splenda
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chocolate-covered espresso beans, coarsely chopped
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
~In a bowl, mix together the flours and baking powder. In a separate small bowl, combine the almonds and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Sprinkle 1Tbs of the flour mixture over the mix-ins, and toss them lightly, coating them with the flour.
~In your mixer, start whipping the egg and egg white. Whip for 1-2 min on medium-low speed. Add the Splenda and whip for 3 min until the mixture is thick and light colored. Add the vanilla and then turn off the mixer. Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture until it is just incorporated. Finally, fold in the almonds and chocolate-covered espresso beans (this may be difficult because the dough will be quite thick and there may seem to be too many mix-ins to mix in, but carefully incorporate the ingredients into the dough.
~On the parchment-lined baking sheet, form the dough into a long, flat-topped log, approximately 3 inches wide and ½-3/4” tall. It may help to wet your hands with water to smooth out the dough log. Bake for 20 min, rotating halfway through. Then, remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 15 min and lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Using a very sharp knife, quickly cut the log on a diagonal, about 1/2“ apart. Lay the cookies flat on the baking sheet and return them to the oven. Bake for 10 min, then carefully flip each cookie over, and cook 10 more minutes. Let cool completely and then serve with your favorite drink!
Strike up a conversation: Do you ever incorporate chocolate into your breakfast?
