The best things about these Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti are their deep chocolate hazelnut flavor, the way that the Turbanado sugar coating melts and just slightly sweetens my coffee, and just as importantly, the fact that it can be made in one bowl. But, then again, maybe the best thing about these biscotti is that they come with a bowl-sized coffee cup of 90s nostalgia.
These olive oil based biscotti remind me of when coffee shops smelled of roasted coffee beans and there were jars of biscotti in both “authentic” Italian flavors and exotic “global” combinations. In the late 90s I lived for a biscotti the size of a baguette paired with a cappuccino that was served in a cereal bowl with a handle. Sadly, by the late 2000s “biscotti” had been enshittified into strips of sweetened cardboard sealed in single serve plastic. And after that they were left behind as we enjoyed frozen breakfast sandwiches in our car. Thus, we have the rise and fall of the humble biscotti. I think it’s time to bring biscotti back. And I think that this is the perfect recipe.
Notes
Note about cocoa varieties
This recipe looks and tastes best with good quality chocolate using a blend of dark dutch processed and natural cocoa. That said, you can use any type of cocoa you want for this recipe. I usually use a blend of Hershey’s dutch processed cocoa powder, and a high end variety.
Note about hardened/clumped brown sugar
So if you’ve got a fresh bag of brown sugar, you can make this whole recipe in one bowl. If you’ve got some old, clumpy brown sugar, then you need to alter the order of ingredients. If brown sugar is really dried out and clumpy, you may need to wrap the sugar in a damp paper towel and microwave. If your brown sugar is just a bit clumpy, then add olive oil, espresso, and eggs to the brown sugar and stir until the brown sugar has broken up. Then proceed to add the rest of your ingredients.
Key Ingredients
dark brown sugar
cocoa powder
all-purpose flour
olive oil
eggs
hazelnuts
milk chocolate chips
Turbanado sugar
Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti – Recipe
Makes 40 biscotti. Takes about 15 minutes active time. 30 minutes to chill and another hour to bake, rest, and bake again.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (260 grams)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder (84 grams)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (32 grams)
- 2 tablespoon espresso (or ½ teaspoon instant espresso dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water)
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk chocolate chips (135 grams)
- ¾ cups roasted hazelnuts with most of the skins removed, coarsely chopped (110 grams). (it’s fine to use commercially roasted hazelnuts for this).
- 3-4 tablespoons Turbanado (raw) sugar
Step One
If brown sugar doesn’t have hard clumps, stir together brown sugar and granulated sugar. add the cocoa powder. (If your brown sugar is hard or clumpy, please see note above). Add in eggs, olive oil, and espresso. Stir until you have a wet uniform dough. Add in flour and then sprinkle baking soda over top and stir until just combined.
Step Two
Add in chopped hazelnuts and milk chocolate chips. Stir until evenly combined. Tear off a long piece of plastic wrap about 20 inches long. Divide dough in half and shape first half into 8 inch log on the plastic wrap. Roll the plastic and then use the warp around the dough, and then shape the dough through the plastic wrap until you have a roughly 2.5 inch wide 12 inch log. Repeat with the other half of the dough in another piece of plastic wrap. Refrigerate the logs for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Step Three
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder where you’ll place the biscotti dough, and then unroll biscotti dough from plastic wrap and place each log on the lined baking sheets. Brush about 1-2 tablespoons of cool water over the top of the log and then sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of Turbano sugar over top. Repeat with the second log on a second cookie sheet.
Step Four
Bake for about 30-40 minutes. The dough will expand, a lot! The cookies are done when dough in the middle of the log starts to feel firm when touched. Remove from oven and allow cookie to cool for about 15-30 minutes. Then, using a serrated knife, slice dough into ½ inch thick biscotti and place cookies so one cut side is down on the pan. Lower oven temperature to 325 and return the cookies to the oven for another 15-20 minutes until cookies are firm and dried.
Allow to cool completely and then store in an airtight container.