No other breakfast is as comforting as a cup of hot coffee paired with crisp biscotti. Bake up a batch of homemade biscotti for your guests and they are sure to feel taken care of. But biscotti are not a one-size-fits-all affair, and their endless possibilities as a blank canvas means you can flavor them with just about anything. Some people prefer dark chocolate biscotti, while others appreciate the subtlety of a plain vanilla variety. Fans of dried fruit love the chewy pops of flavor from add-ins like cranberries and candied orange, while others prefer chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
Look in your pantry right now. How many half-used packages of nuts and dried fruit are there? Any chocolate chips hanging out? That’s where this recipe comes in handy: It’s an endlessly riffable biscotti recipe that can be made with just about any add-in of your liking, helping you clean out your pantry while simultaneously creating a whirlwind of textural combinations. A true win-win.
The recipe starts with a classic biscotti dough that can be tinted with cocoa powder for a chocolate base or left as-is for vanilla biscotti. Once the dough is made, the customization begins: It’s time to throw in your add-ins. For one batch you will want about 2 cups of add-ins; or roughly 9½ ounces. Nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, sprinkles, and candied citrus are all fair game. You can mix and match your way to 2 cups, throwing in a handful of this and a pinch of that. These are some of my favorite combinations that I’ve tried so far.
For plain vanilla biscotti dough without cocoa powder:
- Pistachios, dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips
- Sliced almonds and dried cherries
- Dried pineapple with macadamia nuts
Or for biscotti dough made with cocoa powder:
- Milk chocolate chips and salted peanuts
- Candied ginger and chopped bittersweet chocolate
- Hazelnuts and candied orange peel
If you’re feeling noncommittal, split one batch of biscotti dough into several portions and add different add-ins to each portion.
Once the dough is made and your add-ins of choice are included, it’s time to shape the dough into logs. This is another moment where you can customize the biscotti, sprinkling the tops with coarse sugar, flaky salt, granulated sugar, or nothing at all. Coarse sugar will give the biscotti a sparkling crunch, while granulated sugar provides a thinner, more crispy shell. But for purists, leaving the biscotti plain allows them to shine in all its glory.
After your biscotti are baked, one last choice must be made: The decision to dip, or not to dip, them in chocolate. If you decide to dip, heat 1 cup of chocolate chips (any variety, including white) with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in the microwave in 10-second intervals until fully melted. The oil helps keep the chocolate shiny, forgoing the fussy step of tempering while still getting the desired snappy texture and pretty sheen. Once dipped (or not dipped), your creation is complete. Whether you kept it simple with a vanilla dough studded with almonds, or went rogue and threw in the entirety of your panty leftovers, this recipe can help you turn those pesky pantry scraps into new coffee time gold.
Anything Goes Biscotti
source: star-telegram
