Coconut Chocolate Almond Biscotti
I was thinking about my favorite candy bar, Almond Joy, and wondering if I could add those flavors the almond, chocolate, and coconut combination to biscotti. It worked Now, these cookies are a holiday favorite in my family.
I was thinking about my favorite candy bar, Almond Joy, and wondering if I could add those flavors the almond, chocolate, and coconut combination to biscotti. It worked Now, these cookies are a holiday favorite in my family.
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 10 1/8 oz unbleached all-purpose flour (2-1/4 cups)
- 1/4 tsp. table salt
- 4 oz unsalted butter (1/2 cup), softened
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut firmly packed
- 1 cup chopped toasted almonds
- 1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
- Carbohydrate 22.700088 g
- Cholesterol 26.552 mg
- Fat 9.1250468 g
- Fiber 1.45264000045657 g
- Protein 2.9315728 g
- Saturated Fat 4.619273 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (41g)
- Sodium 59.43892 mg
- Sugar 21.2474479995434 g
- Trans Fat 0.576441679999999 g
- Calories 177 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed after each addition until incorporated.
- Mix in the vanilla and then the coconut until well combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- The dough will be sticky.
- With the mixer still on low, mix in the almonds and chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350F.
- Line a large cookie sheet with parchment.
- Divide the dough into equal halves and place on the cookie sheet.
- Working on the sheet, shape each half into a loaf about 10 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 3/4 inch high.
- Bake until the tops are browned, cracked, and crusty, and spring back slightly when gently pressed, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Cool about 30 minutes on the cookie sheet.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325F.
- Transfer each loaf to a cutting board and with a sharp serrated bread knife, cut 1/2-inch slices crosswise on the diagonal.
- When slicing, hold the sides of the loaf near each cut to keep the slices neat.
- Put the slices cut side down on the cookie sheet and bake until the biscotti are dried and the cut surfaces are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack and let the biscotti cool completely.
- The biscotti may give slightly when pressed but will harden as they cool.
Swapping granulated sugar for the specified light brown sugar alters moisture retention significantly, yielding a crisper, less chewy interior during the initial bake. Weighing the 10 1/8 ounces of unbleached all-purpose flour on a digital scale ensures precision that volumetric measuring cups cannot guarantee. Dense doughs containing 1 cup of chopped toasted almonds and mini chocolate chips demand accurate flour ratios to prevent excessive spreading on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Scaling this batch requires careful adjustment because the yield of 25 cookies depends on dividing the sticky dough into precisely two equal 10-inch logs. Doubling the recipe creates four logs, which overcrowds a standard cookie sheet and traps steam, preventing the crucial crusty top from forming during the 35-minute initial baking phase at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Staggering pans across two oven racks or baking sequentially solves overcrowding issues without altering the structural integrity of the logs.
Using room-temperature eggs prevents the 4 ounces of softened unsalted butter from seizing during the creaming stage, maintaining the emulsion necessary for uniform crumb distribution. When cutting the cooled loaves into half-inch slices with a serrated bread knife, stabilizing the sides prevents crumbling along the diagonal cuts. Dropping the oven temperature to 325 degrees for the secondary 15-minute drying phase prevents the coconut and mini chocolate chips from burning on the exposed surfaces.
Properly dried biscotti stored in an airtight container maintain structural integrity for up to two weeks at room temperature. Adding moisture-rich ingredients like shredded coconut means avoiding plastic bags for long-term storage, as trapped humidity softens the crisp exterior that forms during the final cooling rack phase.
