Baking + Photo Opportunity

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at Madeline's daycare. I knew they were probably going to get a lot of food, but I figured it would take the form of cookies, brownies, etc. So I decided to go with some type of biscotti, and I found this chocolate biscotti recipe from the fabulous blog Heather Drive.  I also thought it presented me with a chance to practice some of my photography techniques.

Here's the recipe:


Chocolate Biscotti
(Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (I replaced with additional cocoa powder)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped almonds, blanched or unblanched (or about 4 ounces white chocolate chips)
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips 
- Sugar, for dusting

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes; the mixture may be crumbly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes; don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the chopped nuts and chocolate, then turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead in any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough into 12-inch-long logs. Flatten both logs with the palm of your hand, so that they are 1/2 to 1 inch high, about 2 inches across and sort of rectangular, then carefully lift the logs onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle each log with a little sugar.

Bake the logs for about 25 minutes, or until they are just slightly firm. The logs will spread and crack--and that’s just fine. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, put it on a cooling rack and cool the logs for about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)

Working with one log at a time, using a long serrated knife, cut each log into slices between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet--you’ll have an army of biscotti--and bake the cookies again, this time for just 10 minutes.

Transfer the biscotti to a rack to cool.


I didn't make my rolls wide enough, so my pieces aren't very long. I need to do some research on high-altitude adjustments for this because I think the dough wouldn't have held together if I made it much wider.