Peanut Butter Chocolate Biscotti

I’m starting to get addicted to blogging events. The latest event that I wanted to partake in was a recipe exchange. Basically everyone sent a recipe to our wonderful organizer, Katie of Good Things Catered, and she sent back someone else’s recipe. Then we all bake them and post about them. This time, they all had to be a dessert.

Hubby and I were talking about how neither of us really like Biscotti. I don’t drink coffee ever and he just doesn’t like them. Wouldn’t you know the recipe I got is for Biscotti. I wanted to go ahead and make it to try something new. I usually send my baked goods to work with Hubby anyways and I’m sure his coworkers would like the Biscotti with their morning coffee.

Overall, I thought these turned out great. I was eating quite a bit of the dough in it’s various stages of cooked-ness. I drizzled chocolate on them. Hubby said they went over great at work. He set them near the coffee pot in the morning.

I had quite a few that crumbled when I cut them. I was in a hurry and I’m sure when that if I make biscotti again, I’ll just have to be more careful. I also didn’t know when my butter was fully browned. I’ve never browned butter before, so I read some of the reviews and followed the directions. I never got a strong nutty smell from the butter though…

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Biscotti (from FoodNetwork.com)10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 1/4 cups chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks (about 6 ounces)

Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Continue to cook until the butter browns and gets a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar while beating. Then slowly add the butter and vanilla until evenly mixed, about 30 seconds more. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.

While mixing slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 2 additions, mixing just until absorbed. Fold in the peanuts and chocolate pieces.

Divide the dough evenly into thirds, and put each portion in the center of a baking sheet. Shape the dough with slightly wet hands into logs about 2-inches wide and 15 inches long. Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. (For even baking take care to rotate the pans– top to bottom and front to back–about half way though.) Cool logs on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut logs crosswise, with a long serrated knife at about a 45 degree angle, into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Cool biscotti on the baking sheets. Serve.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.