As promised from my last post, affectionately dubbed by friends overkill Affogato, these are my mini chocolate anise biscotti. Studded with dark chocolate chips, with the lovely scent from orange zest and the sweet flavors of both anise extract and ground anise. And, well just because I sometimes do not do things in small measures, I decided to coat them in dark melted chocolate. Get ready to be transported to biscotti heaven my lovelies!
The dark chocolate, orange zest and ground anise are a trifecta of aromatic flavors that work so well together. I just adore this combination in desserts and find they are simply perfect in this biscotti recipe.
Another thing I am really loving lately is testing out different flours in some of my favorite recipes. One in particular is almond flour, which is high in fiber and a great way to reduce carbohydrates in our diet. It’s nutty flavor and light texture makes it a perfect addition to these chocolate anise biscotti. I have also found that the addition of the almond flour rendered the biscotti much more tender. These are not the rock hard biscotti that will test the strength of one’s new dental work…!
I started off by substituting 1/4, 1/3 and finally 1/2 of all purpose flour with the almond flour and found that the 1/3 cup of almond flour worked best in this recipe. Everything I love about these little morsels are combined in these chocolate anise biscotti. Light and airy with a tender bite, also much lower in calories than most cookies.
Ground anise seeds have a licorice like sweet flavor very similar to star anise and interchangeable in recipes however do purchase them in small quantities as they tend to lose flavor after grinding.
They are really delicious on their own…and dunking them in a frothy cappuccino… will surely take you very quickly, up the stairway, to biscotti heaven!
I often bring a pretty jar of biscotti in to work and not only do they disappear very quickly there is always someone requesting the jar itself! Which reminds me, I should go now to purchase more biscotti jars!
Chocolate Anise Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon ground anise seeds
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure anise extract
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest from 1 very large orange
- 1 egg white lightly beaten for brushing the logs
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips melted (for dipping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, ground anise seeds and chocolate chips. Stir and set aside.
- In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, anise extract and the orange zest.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until combined and a soft cookie dough has formed.
- With a rubber spatula, scrape the cookie dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal portions
- Roll 1 portion at a time into a 10 inch log.
- Transfer logs to prepared cookie sheet.
- Brush each log with the beaten egg whites. ( A pastry brush is really handy for this)
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Once slightly cooled, transfer the logs one at a time to a cutting board and slice diagonally about 3/4 inch pieces.
- Return cookies to the cookie sheet, standing them upright for even baking, and return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Let cookies cool on wire rack.
- Once cooled, dip the bottom flat end of biscotti into the melted chocolate.
- Scrape excess chocolate with an offset spatula.
- Place dipped biscotti upright on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Let stand till chocolate is set.
Notes
For easier dipping, thin chocolate with a little vegetable oil and stir well.
Biscotti keep very well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. However in my family they only last a few days.
Wow, I love biscotti, these look great Marisa! And it just so happens that I have some almond flour in the pantry… 😉
lol…go for it Sadie 🙂 And thank-you for all your lovely comments!!
I have been wanting to work with almond flour and this looks like the perfect intro. And one can never have too much chocolate in anything! ? (Wish one of MY coworkers brought some of these in haha)
Hi Jolina! So far I have tried almond and oat flour and I must say…I am loving the almond flour so much. And yes chocolate has a way of making everything better 🙂
I usually add anise or fennel to biscotti. It’s such a wonderful addition. Love the combination of it with chocolate! Looks amazing. 🙂
I adore anise and fennel and use these flavors quite often! Thanks Ronit 🙂
Love biscotti and I so much like that you used almond flour. I am a fan of gluten-free flours and I bet here it was perfect. I would just omit the anice because I don’t like licorice, anise, fennel and all similar flavors. (I am an atypical Italian 😉 . But for the rest they’re right up my alley. Great recipe!
I should then mention that almond extract will work beautifully in this recipe, thank-you Nicoletta!
It looks great! I am not fan of anise either so thanks for the substitute!
Huh I thought I was already following you, but WP said I wasn’t. So you get a second follow from me, lol. 🙂
I am not sure why but for some reason I get many other bloggers re-following on a daily basis. WordPress assured me everything was fine but I know there must be an issue somewhere! Has it ever happened to the you? Oh, and thank for the re-follow?
I’m not very good at keeping track of my followers, but I DO know who I follow so I’m not much help on that. So sorry this is happening to you! Glad to be “back!”
I suppose it will resolve itself one day….glad your back?
I love biscotti too. Funny, I keep a jar at work as well, which you’ve just reminded me is empty! I’m thinking these might be the refill! They look perfect!
lol! What is the saying about great minds… Enjoy Renee I am sure you will love them 🙂
Marisa, I love biscotti and yours with the almond flour and chocolate are making me drool!
If it is drool worthy then I have done my job…lol!! They are everything I love in a biscotti, I am sure you would love them as well! Thanks Sandhya 🙂
I am so happy to see this recipe and think that the almond flour is a key ingredient to give them that light airy texture, Beautiful and I can’t wait to make them.
I wholeheartedly agree with you and thanks, I am sure you will love them 🙂
Absolutely the perfect biscotti with a nice espresso!
The ultimate for sure…:)
I love biscotti. The chocolate and anise pairing in this recipe looks wonderful.
Thank-you! I can never seem to make enough 🙂
I love chocolate and I love anise… but I’ve never put them together! I have to say I’m awfully tempted now (plus every time I see beautiful biscotti, I want espresso, which makes me happy… so thanks!)
lol..they are really delicious and they do not last very long in my house! Thanks 🙂
I love biscotti and this look so good ! and with coffee it will be the perfect combination !
They make wonderful dunkers, thank-you!! 🙂
These biscotti’s look so good..I have yet to attempt making them…one day perhaps:))
They are really very easy to make! Thank you 🙂
These look so very delicious! I would love to make these. The other dessert was just decadent and mouth watering Marisa! xx
Hi Lynn, they are really not difficult to make and you won’t be able to stop at just one! Thanks xxx 🙂
I am sure yumm xxx
Gorgeous, Marisa! I’ve never used chocolate with anise! How perfect these must taste!
Lana, the sweet flavor of anise works so well with the dark chocolate! 🙂
Seems just perfect! Looking forward to trying them! We need a good dunking cookie in this house!
I can have these all day 😀 Looks so good!
Believe me,”we” did…lol 🙂
You are right about being transported to biscotti heaven, these sound like they could be my new favorite.
lol…if you do not like them rock hard then these are for you!! Thanks Karen 🙂
Hi Marisa, I am making your biscotti today, I changed a little only because I didn’t have any anise and I added hazelnuts. They are in the oven now and if it’s ok with you I am going to blog about them with a link to your blog.
Absolutely Suzanne…enjoy them! I wish I could taste one….xxx
I’m so glad I found your blog. It is one of the best in my opnion! These biscotti look great.
Btw, one of my followers had to follow me daily because he kept getting kicked off on WordPress.
That is so kind of you and I’m glad you like the biscotti. Hopefully the “following” issues will get resolved one day soon 🙂