Union Square Cafe’s Chocolate Biscotti

Metric Mise-en-Place All-Purpose Flour 240g Cocoa Powder 78g Dark Brown Sugar (lightly packed) 320g Salt 1 teaspoon Baking Soda 1 teaspoon Granulated Sugar 80g Butter 57 g (4 Tablespoons, 1/2 stick U.S.) Vanilla Extract 1 Tablespoon Expresso (double strength) 1 teaspoon Eggs 4, one of which beaten with one Tablespoon water Chocolate Chips 212g Raw Sugar 25g

The trick to the sticky dough:
Spray a wax paper sheet with nons-stick pan spray.
Wrap dough snugly in it and put in a bowl.

REFRIGERATE the DOUGH overnight.

Next day: Take dough out of wax paper and shape into the logs. Bake as directed. Twenty minute cooling time (as opposed to 1.5 hrs ) worked well for slicing.

We like biscotti end pieces so I always make shorter logs. two is fine, though.

This is a good cookie when you are in mood for chocolatey crunch.

To handle the wet dough, just directly place divided dough onto prepared baking sheet. Then apply egg wash to your hands and shape. Someone asked "your hands??" appalled at the cleanliness factor...to which an easy response is that this is going in a 350 degree oven for half an hour.

Was out of espresso/ coffee, so I added a touch of almond extract. Delicious!

I used 1 tsp espresso powder in place of brewed (because a tsp of brewed espresso???). Wonderful recipe. Did not have any issues with dough being too wet like others; similar feel to other biscotti doughs I've made.

I had no problem with this dough. Not sure why people had a problem with a sticky dough. I added a tad more cocoa powder. Now, not sure it helps I got my pastry degree from Cordon Bleu. But, I hv tried other chocolate biscotti recipes and found the doughs to be sticky. This one came out perfect. I think the trick is to add a bit more cocoa. Also, when I rolled out, I put some flour on my kitchen island so it would not stick. I rolled out to 12” long, 2” wide.

When I make biscotti, I use Maida Heatter's method: Spoon half the dough on to a large piece of plastic wrap in more or less a log. Fold the edges of the plastic wrap over. Shape the dough through the plastic. No mess! Put logs on a cookie sheet and freeze an hour or longer. When you're ready to bake, just remove the plastic wrap, and put them on a baking sheet. (Warning: I only make biscotti that are butterless. IDK if that makes a difference wrt this technique.)

I did two batches - one following the recipe and the other substituting mint extract and white chocolate chips and excluding the espresso. Both turned out well (though the wetness of the original recipe struck me as a little too much). The white chips really look striking. Next time, I think I'll try adding nuts for contrast.

I am guessing the people who had no trouble with the sticky dough used dip and sweep method to measure flour. That can add almost 50% to the correct weight of flour in a recipe. Correct method is to spoon into the cup and level off. Going to make as written tomorrow, even though I think the sugar is almost double what it should be! And try a middle course with the flour, one cup dipped and one cup spooned.

My family called these “Mandelbaum Broit, or bread.” One grandmother also used apple sauce for some liquid. Another used regular mayonnaise for the oil or butter! We always sprinkle a bit of cinnamon sugar over them during the 2nd baking. Fond memories of our “bubbies” preparing these, often with the help of little grandkids’ hands in the mix.

use espresso powder instead and leave out the liquid

This note are for those who already made the recipe as is; I altered the recipe quite a bit. They are not overly sweet (a plus to me) & go great with coffee. I added chopped dried cherries, pistachios and swapped dark chips (60%) for milk. I left off the egg wash & sugar. I added 1 tab freeze-dried espresso to the dry mix instead of the liquid variety. The dough was sticky/soft. I placed it in the refrig overnight & divided into 4 logs. Baked for 45 mins. No trouble cutting after 45 mins.

Read all the notes before you begin! I read notes 1/2 through and had already brewed the espresso- thankfully, it seemed odd to me and I decided to check the notes - do not use liquid espresso. My alterations: -used 2 teaspoons espresso powder. -added 1 teaspoon baking powder in addition to the 1 teaspoon of baking soda because one baker said her batch did not rise - and mine were fine. -cut the brown sugar to 1 cup and cut the granulated sugar to 1/4 cup. -add 1 cup semi sweet mini choc chips

This dough is quite sticky. Wetting hands slightly makes it easier to work with when shaping.

These biscottis are so yummy! I added cranberries and nuts.
I just don't know how the recipe could yield 60-80 cookies, especially when I look at the picture.