Christmas is thirteen days (gulp) away and what better way is there to countdown to the big event than to feature a cookie recipe each day? Think of it as a cookie recipe advent calendar. And to fill that advent calendar I’m featuring twenty five of my favorite holiday cookie recipes that are sure to fill your holidays with cheer. Bake them to fill your cookie trays, bring them to a cookie swap or eat them yourself; they are guaranteed to bring about holiday joy. And if you love baking as much as I do, making them is a fun filled gift unto itself. Enjoy!

Biscotti are one of my favorite cookies. They can be plain or chocolate and can be filled with nuts, candies, dried fruit or nothing at all. They are crisp and make for the perfect dunking cookie. And if you can keep them around, they get crisper and better with age. Because of this they are my go to cookie for care packages since they are guaranteed to arrive ready to eat. But what is my favorite type? Its hard to say but these chocolate biscotti are pretty darn good.

Chocolate, Yes, chocolate. And if you love chocolate it hard to get more chocolatey than with these triple chocolate biscotti. They are a sophisticated and decidedly adult treat whose color is so darkly brown it is almost black, hence the reason I call them midnight biscotti. With semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa powder and chocolate chips you get a triple dose of chocolate in every bite. Rich dark brown sugar and a bit of espresso powder enhance the chocolate flavor in these cookies without making them too sweet. Rather, they are intensely chocolate. Whats not to love?

I know I love them. So pour yourself a nice cup of coffee, grab a biscotti (or two) and dunk away. You won’t be disappointed. I promise.

MIDNIGHT  BISCOTTI

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa

1 1/2 tablespoons espresso powder

2 teaspoons vanilla powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup miniature chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 300.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the chocolate and brown sugar and process until the chocolate is very fine.  Set aside.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, vanilla powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer on medium-high speed.  Reduce the speed to low and mix in the sugar and flour mixtures until a stiff dough forms.  Fold in the chocolate chips.
• On a floured surface, divide the dough in half.  Form each half into a long that is 12 inches long.  Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet and use your fingers to pat the logs into a uniform shape and size.
• Bake until the dough is almost firm to the touch, about 50 minutes.  Remove from the oven but leave the oven on and allow the logs to cool for 10 minutes.
• Using a spatula, carefully transfer the logs to a work surface.  Using a serrated knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into slices that are 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
• Arrange the slices, cut side down on the baking sheet.  Bake for 25 minutes then turn the slices over and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
• Turn off the oven and allow the cookies to sit with the oven door ajar until the oven has cooled.

Yields:  Approximately 30 cookies

Tagged: baking, chocolate, chocolate chips, espresso powder