Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Recipe by Southern Living, America's Best Home Cooking Cookbook

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee or espresso granules (I used Cafe Bustelo ground espresso)

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted ( I used pecans)

1 cup semisweet chocolate mini-morsels

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add to butter mixture, stirring until blended. Fold in chopped nuts and chocolate morsels.

Divide dough in half, and shape each dough portion into a 13 x 2-inch log on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Pat dough to 1 inch thickness.

Bake at 350° for 23 - 25 minutes or until firm. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Note:  When I tried to move the biscotti dough to the cooling racks they started to break so I left them on the pan to cool and cut them on the baking pan.

Cut each log diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion, and place slices, cut side down, on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake slices at 350° for 15 minutes; turn cookies over, and bake 10 - 15 additional minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

****Recipe shared by Jamie on Mom’s Cooking Club.