50+ Friends Club Cookbook -- Cookies and Desserts -- Biscotti Cioccolato

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Biscotti Cioccolato

From the Kitchen of: Shelley

5	oz	(1 cup) Whole blanced almonds
1 3/4	C	Unsifted unbleached flour
1/2	C	Unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch)
1	tsp	Baking soda
1/4	tsp	Salt
2	tsp	Instant espresso or coffee powder
4	oz	Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
3	large	Eggs
1	tsp	Vanilla extract
1/2	tsp	Almond extract
1	C	Granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast almonds in shallow pan for 12minutes. Cool. Reduce heat to 300 degrees. Adjust racks to divideoven in thirds. Line two cookie sheets with foil, shiny side up.
Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and espresso powder together.With heavy knife shred chocolate finely. Place chocolate in foodprocessor with metal blade. Add 1/2 cup of sifted ingredients andprocess for 20-30 secs till chocolate is fine.
In large bowl of electric mixer beat eggs and extracts just to mix. On low speed add chocolate mixture, remaining sifted ingredients, andsugar. Beat to mix. Will be very stiff. Stir in almonds.
Turn dough onto floured surface. Form mound. Cut in half. Floureach half and form into sausage shape 12" long. Place sausage shape onbaking sheet diagonally.
Bake two sheets at a time for 50 minutes, reversing sheets top tobottom and front to back once to ensure even baking.
Remove sheets from oven. Let cool 10 minutes. Transfer bakedstrips to cutting board. With serrated knife, cut strips on sharp angleinto cookies 1/2" wide.
Carefully place cookies, cut side up, on cookie sheets and bakeagain at 300 for 40 minutes., turning them upside down after 15 or 20minutes, until cookies are completely dry and crisp.
Turn off heat, open oven door and let them cool in oven. Store inairtight cannisters.