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Chocolate Biscotti with Pistachios, Almonds and Dried Cherries

The late Maida Heatter has about a dozen cookbooks to her name, all of them focused on baking sweets. These biscotti, our adaptation of a recipe from “Maida Heatter’s Best Dessert Book Ever,” are made with a combination of cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate. With a flavor boost from instant espresso powder, they’re dark and rich and not too sugary. Each satisfyingly crunchy slice—perfect with coffee or dessert wine—is studded with pistachios, almonds and dried cherries.
Servings: 36 cookies
Author: Milk Street

Ingredients

  • 110 grams whole almonds (¾ cup)
  • 228 grams all-purpose flour (1¾ cups), plus more for dusting
  • 214 grams white sugar (1 cup)
  • 28 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder (⅓ cup)
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 227 grams bittersweet chocolate finely chopped (see headnote), (8 ounces), divided (4 ounces / 4 ounces)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 109 grams roasted pistachios (1 cup)
  • 75 grams dried cherries (½ cup), roughly chopped

Instructions

Toast the almonds:

  • Heat the oven to 375°F with the racks in the upper- and lower-middle positions.
  • Distribute the almonds in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Toast on the upper oven rack, stirring once, until lightly browned and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Let cool on the baking sheet.

Reduce the oven temp and prepare the pans:

  • Reduce the oven to 300°F.
  • When the almonds are cool, transfer to a small bowl; set aside.
  • Line the same baking sheet as well as a second baking sheet with kitchen parchment.

Prepare the dry ingredients:

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt.
  • In a food processor, combine ½ cup of the flour mixture and 114 grams (4 ounces) of the chopped chocolate.
  • Process until the chocolate is finely ground, about 25 seconds; do not overprocess or the chocolate may begin to melt.
  • Whisk the mixture into the dry ingredients.

Prepare the dough:

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, and vanilla and almond extracts.
  • Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and, using a silicone spatula, stir and fold, mashing the mixture against the bowl with the spatula, until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened and no streaks of flour remain.
  • Add the remaining chopped chocolate, the almonds, pistachios and cherries.
  • Lightly flour your hands and knead gently until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Shape the dough:

  • Lightly flour the counter, then turn the dough out on it and divide it in half.
  • Moisten your hands with water and roll one portion into a 14-inch log.
  • Place the log on one side of one of the prepared baking sheets.
  • Shape the remaining dough in the same way and place on the other side of the baking sheet, spacing the logs about 4 inches apart.

Bake the biscotti:

  • Bake on the lower rack until the dough has spread into flat, fissured loaves that are firm on the surface and appear dry in the cracks, 45 to 50 minutes.
  • Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the loaves cool on the baking sheet for 20 to 25 minutes.
  • Immediately after removing the baking sheet from the oven, reduce the temperature to 275°F.

Cut the biscotti:

  • Using a wide metal spatula, carefully transfer the loaves to a cutting board; reserve the baking sheet and its parchment.
  • Using a serrated knife, cut each still-warm loaf on the diagonal into ⅜- to ½-inch slices; use a gentle sawing motion to slice about halfway through the thickness of the loaf, then bear down on the knife, slicing straight down to complete the cut. (This slicing technique helps prevent breakage, as sawing through the entire thickness of the loaf has a greater chance of dislodging nuts, causing the biscotti to break apart.)

Bake again and cool:

  • Place the biscotti cut side up in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake until firm and dry, about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets and switching their positions about halfway through.
  • Let cool on the baking sheets on wire racks for about 10 minutes.
  • Transfer the biscotti directly to the racks and cool completely.

Video

Notes

  • We prefer to use Dutch-processed cocoa here, as it lends the cookies a deeper, darker color than natural cocoa, but natural cocoa works, if that’s what you have on hand.
  • Once the biscotti are fully cooled, they will keep in an airtight container for a few weeks. If they soften slightly during that time, put them into a 250°F oven for about 10 minutes; they will crisp as they cool.
  • Don’t use chocolate chips in place of the bittersweet chocolate, as chips contain additives that help them retain their shape but give them a waxiness and affect their flavor. Rather, opt for bittersweet chocolate sold in bars or chunks.
  • When chopping the chocolate, aim for pieces no larger than ¼ inch. Large chunks create big pockets of chocolate in the biscotti that reduce their structural integrity.