the holidays are in full swing.
it seems unseasonably warm here in virginia, which is not a complaint from this texas girl. we’re not bred for cold. but it’s just cold enough to enjoy the holidays… a little christmas music, lights strung throughout the house, the elf of the shelf, and the smells of freshly baked christmas goodies wafting through the air.
last year i baked about a dozen batches of biscotti for my parents to give as gifts. this year, considering my full plate of busy-ness (including finishing my manuscript, which i turned in today – yay!), my mom showed much kindness and resisted asking for a round two of christmas biscotti-a-thon. but i can’t really let the season slip by without at least a batch or two. since the favorites last year were the gingerbread and the chocolate-peppermint versions, i eeny-meeny-miny-moe’d and landed on these beauties…
which i may have rigged just a bit, because i totally have a thing for the mint-chocolate combination. there is just something so refreshing about those two together (which would also explain the ever-present bag of peppermint patties in my freezer). not to mention the happy candy stripes that top these cookies… they’re just so christmas and a great way to use extra candy canes or peppermints. i’m also kinda addicted to those white chocolate-peppermint kisses that only come out this time of year. the little sugary beads of peppermint-y-ness and the smooth white chocolate are just the right little bite at the end of the day. i’ve never before used them in these biscotti, but decided i might as well share the delicious wealth so i chopped them up and threw them in. the flavor they added to my basic chocolate biscotti was exactly what i was looking for.
Chocolate-Peppermint Biscotti
Servings 1 1/2 dozen
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons ground golden flax
- 4 teaspoons very hot water
- 280 grams about 2 cups kumquat all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa i used dark chocolate cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped peppermint-white chocolate kisses
- Cooking spray
- white chocolate candy coating
- crushed peppermints
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Combine the ground flax and hot water in a small bowl; stir until a thick slurry forms. Set aside.
- Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; stir until combined. Combine egg, egg whites and vanilla in a small bowl. Add egg mixture and flax slurry to flour mixture; stir well (mixture will be very crumbly). Add chopped peppermint-white chocolate kisses.
- Pour mixture out onto a clean surface. Work mixture into a dough and knead until well blended. Shape into a 14- x 4-inch log on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
- Remove log to a cutting board and slice into 3/4-inch thick slices with a serrated knife. Return slices to baking sheet; bake 5 minutes. Flip cookies and bake an additional 5 minutes; cool on wire racks.
- Melt candy morsels in an 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Dip long side of each biscotti cookie in melted chocolate, spreading with a spoon if needed. Sprinkle with crushed peppermints. Allow to dry.
