Biscotti With A Persian Twist Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 325* F and lightly oil one large or two smaller cookie sheets.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, and cardamom powder if using.
• In another bowl, mix together the agave or sugar, applesauce, oil, and extracts. (Use more oil for a softer biscotti, less oil for a crunchier biscotti).
• In thirds, gently add and stir sugar mixture into the flour mixture. Batter will be very thick. Add the nuts and fruits. Finish the mixing with your hands.
• With floured hands, shape the dough into two 3-inch wide "logs" about 3/4 inch thick, with the ends squared off. (Measure if you have to; I did!).
• Bake the logs for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack. As they cool, drop the oven temp to 300°F.
• Cool the logs on a rack for 15 minutes. Cut the logs carefully with a sharp knife straight across into 1/2 inch wide slices.
• Place the slices cut side down on the cookie sheets and bake for 5-10 minutes more.
• Turn the slices over and cook 5-10 minutes more, or until golden on bottom. NOTE: The biscotti might look under-cooked. They almost certainly are not. They will harden up as they sit.
• Cool on racks, then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Line a cookie sheet with foil and set aside.
• Beat butter for 30 seconds in a large mixing bowl.
• Add sugar, baking powder and salt, beat until well combined.
• Add eggs and peppermint extract.
• Gradually beat in as much flour as you can and stir in the remaining flour.
• Mix in the chopped candies.
• Form the biscotti: Divide dough in half and tint one portion of dough with food coloring. (I dyed my dough a dark pink with liquid food coloring...if you wish for a red dough, use red paste food coloring. )
• Divide each half of dough into three equal portions.
• Roll each portion into a 14 inch long rope on a lightly floured surface. Place a rope of each color side by side on the foil lined cookie sheet and twist ropes around each other several times.
• Flatten twists to a 2 inch width. Repeat this process with the remaining ropes of dough and place each twist about 4 inches apart on cookie sheet.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned and tops are slightly cracked. Cool completely on cookie sheet.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300°F
• Carefully peel away foil and transfer twists to a wooden chopping board. Use a serrated knife to cut each twist diagonally into ½ inch thick slices.
• Place slices onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven, turn over and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until biscotti slices are dry. Allow biscotti to cool completely.
• To make peppermint icing: Combine milk, peppermint extract and sugar. If icing is too thick, add milk in tiny amounts until it is of a drizzling consistency.
• Lightly drizzle all biscotti in a zigzag fashion.
• Add red food coloring to leftover icing (if mixture thickens, add a little more milk) and lightly drizzle biscotti in the opposite direction of the white icing drizzle zigzags.
• Eat within 3 days and store in an airtight container. These freeze well (just make sure you drizzle with icing after freezing, not before).

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Position racks in top and bottom third of the oven. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.
• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Beat eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until pale and frothy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and mix until pale and thickened, about 2 minutes. Beat in melted butter and vanilla on low speed until combined.
• Add chocolate-hazelnut spread and beat on low speed, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed, until just combined, about 30 seconds. Gradually mix in flour mixture and on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Fold in chocolate chips and hazelnuts until just combined.
• Divide dough in half. Place each half in the center of a prepared baking sheet. Lightly spray your hands with cooking spray and shape each piece of dough into a 3/4-x2 1/2-x13-inch log.
• Bake in the preheated oven, rotating cookie sheets halfway through, until set and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Carefully transfer one log to a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to cut 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal. Transfer slices back to the baking sheet in an even layer, with cut-sides up. Repeat with the remaining log.
• Bake in the preheated oven until dried, about 30 minutes, flipping cookies and rotating baking sheets halfway through. Transfer biscotti to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, microwave candy wafers in a medium microwave-safe bowl on high power for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving and stirring in 30-second increments, until melted and smooth, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes total. Drizzle melted chocolate over one end of each biscotti.
• Refrigerate, uncovered, until chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.