more photos:

Flavoured slightly with Grand Marnier, these crunchy tasty cookies are the perfect side to a delicious cup of coffee...after dinner or even before rising from bed!

ingredients:

	6 ounces (1 ¼ cups) slivered almonds
	2 cups sifted unbleached flour
	½ teaspoon baking soda
	½ teaspoon baking powder
	1/8 teaspoon salt
	1 cup minus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
	12 ounces (2 cups) dark chocolate morsels
	2 large eggs
	1 teaspoon vanilla extract
	2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

directions:

1. Toast the almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan in a 350-degree oven for 7 to 10 minutes. Shake a few times and watch carefully so they don’t burn (you’ll want them to just colour—the toasted smell will tell you they’re ready). Set aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use cookie sheets with 2 or 3 flat edges (or turn sheet upside down); line with parchment paper or foil, shiny side up.

3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add sugar and stir to mix.

4. Place about ½ cup of these dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Add in about ½ cup of the toasted almonds. Process for 30 seconds or so—until nuts are fine and powdery. Add this processed mixture back in with the sifted ingredients, then add the remaining toasted almonds and the chocolate morsels.

5. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla and Grand Marnier just to mix. Stir the egg mixture with a rubber spatula into the dry ingredients until moistened. This takes some patience as this is a very dry dough and you want the little moistness there is to be well distributed.

6. Turn the dough out onto a length of parchment paper on your counter. Working beside the sink or with a large bowl of cold water beside you, wet your hands and press the dough into a round mound. Use a knife to cut dough in half.

7. Continue to wet your hands to press each piece of dough into a strip approx. 2 ½ inches wide, and a good ½ inch high. Round the strip ends, then place strips crosswise on the lined baking sheet.

8. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove sheets from oven. Slide parchment paper off sheet and transfer baked strips to a large cutting board. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.

9. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees. With a sharp serrated bread knife, cut with a careful, slow sawing motion on a sharp angle, into slices approx. ½ inch wide. Place slices, cut side down, back to now unlined baking sheet.

10. Bake for 25 minutes, or until thoroughly dry (depends on the thickness of your slices), turning once during baking. Turn the oven heat off, open the oven door, and let the biscotti cool in the oven. When cool, store in an airtight container (well, make some fresh coffee and sample at least one first).

after-thoughts:

Grand Marnier lends a very subtle orange flavour, which I love with chocolate. If you don’t, use whiskey or brandy.

recipe origin: Based on a recipe from Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (and they are great!), with slight modifications.

Filed under:   Cookies & Bars

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