Recipe for Chocolate Biscotti - by Trish Berg

Some memories stay with you for a lifetime, and for me , a lot of those memories involve smells, tastes or feelings.

Christmas memories tend to revolve around the taste buds for me. It is such a time of sharing meals and yummy desserts, and a lot of love.

I remember as a little girl when we would visit my paternal grandparents in Brooklyn, New York. They were 100% Italian, through and through. We would eat the meal, and then sit around the huge dining room table as the adults would talk and talk (argue and argue over nothing much at all) and sip espresso while eating Italian pastries and desserts.

And they always had Biscottis there to dip in their coffee.

My grandparents have both passed away long ago, and my dad died in 1997 after a long battle with pneumonia. And with their passing, my Italian heritage seems to have gone away as well.

I miss them. Even though life at their house was never perfect, full of loud "discussions" and family struggles, it was also full of love.

And for a city-girl-gone-country mom like me, living on a farm in Ohio, I enjoy keeping some of my Italian heritage around in little ways.

So a few years back, I found a fantastic recipe for Chocolate Cherry Biscotti's, and ever since then, it has become a tradition for our family.

I wanted to share not only this recipe with you all, but a new one I found online that I am going to try this year as well. My recipe is for a dark chocolate biscotti, and the new recipe is truly colorful and Christmas looking with it's red and white.

This year, I will be making both Biscotti's, and dipping them in my evening coffee as I watch the snow fall outside my window.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll pull out our old photo album, and invite some wonderful memories to join me.

Blessings to you all, Trish
www.TrishBerg.com

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Dark Chocolate Biscotti (Trish Berg)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 55 minutes
Yield: 46 cookies

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 Tbsp. Baking powder
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 cup chopped almonds (optional)
1 cup crasins, or dried cherries (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with foil, then coat foil with Pam.
3. Mix all wet ingredients. Mix all dry ingredients in separate bowl.
4. Slowly add wet to dry ingredients and blend with wooden spoon.
5. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into logs, about 2 1/2 by 15 inches each.
6. Bake for 35 minutes.
7. Remove from oven, and with serrated knife, cut into slices about 1 inch think.
8. Bake slices on their side for 8 to 10 minutes, or until bottoms begin to brown. Turn, and bake on other side an additional 5 minutes, or until browned and crisp.
9. Let cool and dry for 30 minutes. Store in air tight container, and enjoy with coffee.

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Chocolate Cherry Biscotti (www.AllRecipes.com)

PREP TIME 25 Min
COOK TIME 40 Min
READY IN 1 Hr 15 Min
Original recipe yield 3 dozen

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup chopped candied cherries
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped white chocolate

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the almond extract.
3. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended.
4. Mix in candied cherries and mini chocolate chips.
5. With lightly floured hands, shape dough into two 10 inch long loaves.
6. Place rolls 5 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet; flatten each to 3 inch width.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until set and light golden brown. Cool 10 minutes.
8. Using a serrated knife, cut loaves diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange slices cut side down on ungreased cookie sheets.
9. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until bottoms begin to brown. Turn, and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Cool completely.
10. Melt white chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 20 to 30 seconds until smooth. Drizzle cookies with melted white chocolate. Store in tightly covered container.