Chocolate Biskvi Recipes

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then chop.
• Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan; set aside. Toss the hazelnuts and cookies in a large bowl. Combine the butter, golden syrup and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the butter is melted (do not boil). Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate, cocoa powder and vanilla until smooth, then whisk in the chocolate-hazelnut spread.
• Pour the chocolate mixture over the cookie mixture and stir to coat. Transfer to the prepared pan and press down evenly until tightly packed. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Make the ganache: Put the chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the heavy cream and golden syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the syrup dissolves and the mixture is just bubbling around the edges. Pour over the chocolate and let stand 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Let sit at room temperature until thickened but still pourable, 30 minutes to 1 hour. (It should look like a soft pudding.)
• Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature, 45 minutes. Remove the springform ring and invert the cake onto a cake stand or serving plate; remove the bottom of the pan. Pour about one-third of the cooled ganache over the top of the cake and gently spread with a small offset spatula, allowing the excess to drip down the sides. Repeat with the remaining ganache in two more batches until the top and sides of the cake are covered. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips around the top edge of the cake.

Steps:

• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Grate almond paste and mix with sugar and egg whites till light and fluffy.
• Pipe the batter onto the parchment paper: make 30 round bases with a diameter of about 4 cm.
• Smooth the bases with your finger if needed.
• Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat oven to 175 C.
• After the 30 minutes, bake the cookie bases in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.
• Let cool on the cookie sheet.
• Filling: Mix the butter with sugar and vanilla sugar till light and fluffy using an electric mixer.
• Add egg yolks one at the time, mixing after each addition.
• Dissolve instant coffee into hot water and add the coffee mixture to the butter mixture.
• Spread the filling on the bottom of the baked cookie bases (i. e. flip them around), making pretty, rounded heaps.
• Transfer the cookies into the fridge or freezer for the filling to set.
• The setting will take about 15 minutes in the freezer and about 30 minutes in the fridge.
• Frosting: melt the chocolate with the coconut butter on top of a double boiler.
• Dip the cookies 1-2 times in the chocolate mixture so that the frosting is covered.
• If you need to dip them more than once, let the chocolate set before dipping again.
• Chocolate biskvi will keep 6-8 days in the fridge and about 3 months in the freezer.
• If you want a fancier presentation, pipe the frosting on the cookie bases in decorative designs.

Steps:

• Beat the butter and sugar together with an optional pinch of sea salt in a bowl until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift over the flour and cocoa powder and beat into the butter mix, then fold through the chocolate chips. The mix can be made up to 2 days ahead and chilled or frozen for a month, or used straight away.
• To bake, heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. If the mix is at room temperature, place evenly spaced spoonfuls on parchment-lined baking sheets, allowing 2 tbsp for each cookie. If the mix is fridge cold, you can roll it into 40g balls before baking. The balls can be frozen and the biscuits baked from frozen, but they'll need a few minutes more. Bake for 12-15 mins until spread out and crusty around the outside. Leave to cool slightly and enjoy warm, or leave to cool completely and eat cold. The biscuits will keep in a tin for three days.
• As an optional extra, the biscuits can be dipped in chocolate. To do this, melt your chosen type of chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave. Leave to cool a little, then dip half of each biscuit in the chocolate and leave them on parchment-lined trays somewhere cool to set. Again, the dipped biscuits will keep for up to three days in a tin or lidded plastic container.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12- by 17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick liner. Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda; set aside.
• Using a heavy-duty electric mixer, cream together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter for 3 to 5 minutes at medium speed. Add vanilla extract and espresso. Mix for 10 seconds. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for 10 seconds at medium-low speed after each addition. Add sifted flour mixture and mix at low speed until dough comes together, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chocolate chips and mix just until chips are evenly incorporated, 15 to 20 seconds.
• Transfer dough to a work surface and divide in two, shaping into balls. Form each ball into a log 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Transfer logs to prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly. Brush tops of logs with egg wash and sprinkle each log with 1 tablespoon raw sugar. Bake until biscotti have spread, have a few cracks and bounce back slightly when pressed with fingertips, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut logs into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices. Place each slice with a cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or nonstick liner. Bake until firm, crisp and slightly dry, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze for up to three months.