Marisa's Italian Kitchen

The Secret Ingredient Is Always Love

Biscotti

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

by 11 Comments

Wonderfully delicious, lemon scented Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti. A twice baked biscotti with a scattering of roasted salted pistachios are complimented with slivers of wild cherries bottled in syrup.

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

A little About Amarena Cherries

This is not a sponsored post but rather a product I enjoy very much! 

For a truly memorable Italian experience, do try at least once the authentic Italian amarena cherry.

They are small, dark wild cherries which grow in the Bologna and Modena regions of Italy. Although somewhat bitter they have an incredibly deep cherry flavour.

These luscious cherries are bottled in syrup, masking their bitterness and making them perfect for home baking. They’re also equally wonderful for decorating desserts or garnishing drinks.

But really you can just as easily nibble on them whenever a craving hits for these bitter sweet jewels.

You can purchase these syrup soaked cherries at most Italian specialty shops or simply online.

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

Back To The Recipe

I fell in love with these cherries at first taste and I absolutely had too bake a batch of biscotti! They’re my go to treat whenever I’m craving a quick nibble to serve with coffee or tea.

As a switch up from the more standard almond and orange biscotti I usually bake, I chose pistachios to compliment the cherries. I also added the zest of a lemon to infuse a lovely citrus scent to the biscotti dough.

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

I baked the logs for 25 minutes, just until they are golden brown with a soft but firm touch.

After the initial first bake you’ll want them to cool for about 10 minutes. This will make slicing much easier and then you simply re-bake for an additional 15 minutes to allow them to crisp up.

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

They come out of the oven with a dark golden hue. They’re so irresistible that you’ll be biting into them before they even cool off!

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

You’ll find that they’re perfectly dunkable in your favourite hot beverage! They’re also quite tooth friendly and easily enjoyable simply as they are!

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

Enjoy the biscotti and happy baking my friends!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti
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Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

Lemon scented, twice baked Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti studded with roasted salted pistachios are perfect for dunking in coffee or tea.

Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti
Servings 30 Biscotti

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2/3 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped I used roasted and salted pistachios
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup butter melted
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • lemon zest from 1 small lemon
  • 3/4 cup amarena wild cherries drained and chopped
  • 1 beaten egg white for brushing over biscotti

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

  3. Place the flour, baking powder and pistachios in a large bowl and stir to combine.

  4. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest.

  5. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.

  6. Fold in the chopped Amarena cherries.

  7. Divide the biscotti dough in half.

  8. Dust your hands and work surface with flour and roll 1 portion at a time into a 12 inch log.

  9. Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet.

  10. Brush the biscotti logs with the beaten egg white.

  11. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

  12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

  13. Transfer the biscotti logs, one at a time, to a cutting board and slice diagonally to about 3/4 inch pieces.

  14. Repeat with the remaining log.

  15. Return the sliced biscotti to the baking sheet, stand them upright and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

  16. Remove the biscotti from the oven, allow to cool and enjoy with your favourite hot beverage.

 

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti

by 16 Comments

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti are reminiscent in taste of the much beloved peanut butter cookie! They are over the top delicious with a combo of a melted chocolate and peanut butter drizzle which are then topped with more crushed peanuts…just because!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti

Lately my daughter has been craving peanut butter cookies and being Italian of course and also loving biscotti so much…well… I had this irresistible urge to come up with a peanut butter biscotti.

These morsels are chock full of chocolate covered peanuts that is mixed into the dough alongside some all natural peanut butter for that special flavor we all love so much.

Simply for extra indulgence and also because one can never have too much chocolate in one’s life, I melted some semi sweet chocolate, stirred in some peanut butter then drizzled this yummy mix over the biscotti. Are you swooning yet?

They were then topped with crushed chocolate covered peanuts for more delicious goodness! And so after some love and labor the Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti is born.

Surely you must be swooning now!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti

I love to brush my biscotti with some beaten egg whites before the first bake for a slight sheen, however its totally optional in this recipe since the tops are drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with peanuts.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti

Here’s a handy kitchen tip: If your oven tends to brown the bottoms of baked goods over much, double up on the cookie sheets as this creates some insulation between the baking sheets and disperses the heat much more evenly. This has always worked for me!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti

As in most biscotti recipes they’re really quite simple to make and don’t require a lot of work. And as an added bonus they keep extremely well in an airtight cookie jar for a week, however at my house they disappear so quickly! Even when hidden from sight, someone always sniffs them out!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti

Also if I might add, they are extremely tooth friendly!

Happy baking my friends!

If you make this recipe do take a picture and tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti are reminiscent in taste of the much beloved peanut butter cookie!
Course Cookie
Cuisine Italian
Servings 30
Author Marisa

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of fine sea salts
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3/4 cup golden yellow sugar or light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup all natural creamy peanut butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chocolate covered peanuts roughly chopped
  • lightly beaten egg white from one egg for brushing on the logs
  • FOR THE TOPPING
  • 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 teaspoons all natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped chocolate covered peanuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium sized bowl and set aside
  4. In a large bowl beat the butter, sugar and peanut butter on medium high speed just until fluffy for a minute or two.
  5. Next, beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
  6. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
  7. Stir in the coarsely chopped peanuts.
  8. Divide the dough in half and roll each portion on a lightly floured work surface into a 12 inch log and transfer each log to the prepared baking sheet.
  9. Brush the biscotti with the beaten egg white.
  10. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown for about 25 minutes.
  11. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  12. Once cooled, slice the biscotti crosswise into 3/4 inch pieces and place upright back on the baking sheet.
  13. Return to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.
  14. Let cool then drizzle with chocolate peanut butter and sprinkle some chopped chocolate covered peanuts.
  15. CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER DRIZZLE
  16. Place the 2 ounces of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave for about 60 seconds while stirring every 15 seconds till melted.
  17. Stir in the peanut butter until well combined.
  18. Drizzle the chocolate peanut butter over the biscotti and sprinkle with the remaining chopped chocolate covered peanuts.

 

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

by 25 Comments

These Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti get a lovely lemony kick from both the lemon zest and one of Italy’s favorite liqueur, Limoncello.

They’re studded with dried wild blueberries and pure white chocolate chips then drizzled with more melted white chocolate for some extra sweetness in every bite.

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

If you’ve been following my blog for a while then you’ll probably know quite well my love affair with biscotti. Not only are they extremely easy to make and perfect for a novice baker, you can mix and match different flavors and ingredients to suit your tastes.

They are also far lower in fat then other traditional cookies and keep extremely well in an air tight container for a week or so. Although at my house they disappear ever so quickly!

Furthermore, they make perfect little dunkers for a morning cup of freshly brewed coffee or a hot cup of tea to while away a lazy afternoon. Or better yet, these lemon scented biscotti make a lovely accompaniment to scoops of lemon granita. A delicious pairing for these wilting days of summer.

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

Similarly to my Chocolate Anise Biscotti, these are light and airy with a tender bite and extremely tooth friendly. Unless you happen to be a certain 11 year old boy entering a tooth transition period. Désolé Guillaume, j’espère que la fée des dents a fait preuve de grande générosité…sorry Guillaume, I truly hope the tooth fairy was quite generous with you!

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

The lemon zest coupled with the Limoncello liqueur imparts a lovely infusion of citrus flavor and accentuates the sweetness of the blueberries. However, you can absolutely replace the liqueur with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Although delicious all on their own, try drizzling some melted white chocolate for some extra love. But really its totally optional!

.Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

A note on Vanilla Sugar 

My intent was to use regular granulated sugar as I normally do when making biscotti. I then remembered  the jar of vanilla sugar way back in my pantry. As I slowly popped the lid a heady scent of sweet vanilla permeated the air around me and I knew at that moment that I simply had to use it in my Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti recipe. The aroma of homemade vanilla sugar is absolutely heavenly!

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

While you can use the store bought variety nothing ever beats homemade in my opinion.

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

Therefore with only two ingredients and five minutes of prep time you simply must try your own Vanilla Sugar. …and then bake some biscotti of course!

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti
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Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti, scented with one of Italy's favorite liqueur, Limoncello. Packed with wild dried blueberries, white chocolate chips and then drizzled with more melted chocolate for some extra sweetness in every bite.
Course Biscotti
Cuisine Italian
Servings 3 dozen
Author Marisa

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup almonds finely ground
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt I used fine sea salt
  • 3/4 cup dried wild blueberries
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 3/4 vanilla sugar
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • zest of 1 large lemon about 1 heaping tablespoon
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon of Limoncello liqueur you can substitute freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • lightly beaten egg white from one egg for brushing the logs
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate melted (for drizzling)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, finely ground almonds, baking powder, salt, wild blueberries and chocolate chips.
  4. Stir and set aside.
  5. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the vanilla sugar, melted butter, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract and Limoncello liqueur.
  6. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon till thoroughly combined.
  7. Transfer the biscotti dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide in two.
  8. Dust hands with flour and roll 1 portion at a time into a 12 inch log.
  9. Transfer logs to prepared cookie sheet.
  10. Brush each log with the beaten egg white.
  11. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
  12. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  13. Transfer the logs one at a time to a cutting board and slice diagonally to about 3/4 inch pieces.
  14. Place the sliced biscotti upright on the baking sheet and return to the oven to bake for an additional 15 minutes or till golden brown in color.
  15. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  16. Melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate in microwave safe bowl then thin it with a little bit of vegetable oil for easy drizzling.
  17. Drizzle the biscotti with the melted white chocolate and allow the chocolate to set before serving.

 

Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti

by 28 Comments

Tender, elegant and sophisticated Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti, studded with semi-sweet chocolate chunks and pine nuts and a generous sprinkle of turbinado sugar for some extra love.

Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti

If you have been following along for a while then you probably know by now how much I adore biscotti! There simply is no holiday or special occasion without at least one form or flavor of biscotti.

These Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti are adapted from Anna Olsen’s cookbook “Another Cup Of Sugar” and have graced my holiday cookie platter for many years now and are everything I adore in a good biscotti! In my opinion they are the absolute “ultimate biscotti”.

For those not familiar with Anna Olsen, she is Canada’s Food Network star and one of the few shows I watch religiously

Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti

These biscotti are a far cry from the rock hard variety sold at most coffee shops as those are usually made without butter and are more suited for dunking in order to render edible.

What also sets them apart from the other varieties is that after the initial first bake of 30 minutes they are slightly cooled, sliced and returned to the oven with the oven turned off and allowed to dry out this way for an additional 30 minutes. So in fact they really only get one bake.

Most noteworthy here is that the cornmeal plays a large part in keeping the biscotti ever so tender.

Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti

There is much to adore about these biscotti! They are rich in butter and chocolate flavor, with a fudge like appearance when fresh out of the oven

Deliciously speckled with tender roasted pine nuts and chocolate chunks with a slight crunch from the cornmeal. A generous sprinkle of sugar crystals for a festive appeal and a lovely almond flavor coming through in every tender bite!

Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti

I love baking both variations and serving them together for a stunning display of biscotti bliss as they are truly a wonderful finale after a special meal.

Most enjoyable with a tall glass of milk or for a more grownup appeal serve them with a small glass of aged Porto as my hubby prefers! Or a big glass of Porto, whatever works for you…I will not judge 🙂

Ciao, happy baking and until the next cookie 🙂

 

SWITCH UP FOR THE PINE NUT BISCOTTI:

Follow recipe as indicated except omit the 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and replace it with all purpose flour. The total amount of all purpose flour will then be 3 1/3 cups of flour for the pine nut biscotti.

Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti
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Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti

These rich and decadent Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti have a tender texture and are the perfect finish to any elegant meal.
Course Biscotti
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 1/2 dozen
Author Marisa

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
  • 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder I used dutch dark cocoa
  • 1/3 cup durum semolina flour or fine corn meal
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt I used fine sea salt
  • 1 1/4 cups lightly toasted pine nuts
  • 3/4 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
  • 1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons of water for egg wash (brushing over the unbaked logs)
  • turbinado sugar for sprinkling over the unbaked logs

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl cream together the butter with both sugars for a couple of minutes or until light and fluffy.
  4. Add in the eggs one at a time, until each is fully incorporated.
  5. Stir in both the vanilla and almond extracts.
  6. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, durum semolina and the salt.
  7. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until blended. You will have a soft dough.
  8. Stir in the pine nuts along with the chocolate chunks until evenly distributed.
  9. Transfer the dough onto a floured work space and divide in two.
  10. With floured hands roll out the dough into a 12 inch log and transfer to the prepared cookie sheet. (At this point, it helps to have the cookie sheet nearby for easy transfer)
  11. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
  12. The dough will spread during baking so make sure they are 2 inches apart.
  13. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the biscotti logs with the egg wash.
  14. Sprinkle generously with the turbinado sugar.
  15. Bake for 30 minutes and when ready the tops should feel firm to the touch.
  16. Remove the biscotti from the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for about 15 to 20 minutes, because this will make them easier to slice.
  17. Transfer the logs to a cutting board and slice each log, one at a time, into 1/2 inch slices.
  18. Place the sliced biscotti upright on the baking sheet.
  19. Return the cookie sheet to the oven and turn the oven off.
  20. Keep in the oven for 30 minutes so that the biscotti slowly dry out as the oven cools off.

Recipe Notes

Recipe is adapted from "Another Cup of Sugar" by Anna Olsen

 

 

Chocolate Anise Biscotti

by 44 Comments

 

chocolate-anise-biscotti

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…!

chocolate anise biscotti

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.

chocolate anise biscotti

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.

chocolate anise biscotti

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!

chocolate anise biscotti

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
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Chocolate Anise Biscotti

Mini tender chocolate chip biscotti bites. With the sweet scent of anise and grated orange zest and dipped in decadent dark chocolate.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 dozen
Author Marisa

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

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, ground anise seeds and chocolate chips. Stir and set aside.
  4. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, anise extract and the orange zest.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until combined and a soft cookie dough has formed.
  6. With a rubber spatula, scrape the cookie dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
  7. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions
  8. Roll 1 portion at a time into a 10 inch log.
  9. Transfer logs to prepared cookie sheet.
  10. Brush each log with the beaten egg whites. ( A pastry brush is really handy for this)
  11. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
  12. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and let it cool for 10 minutes.
  13. Once slightly cooled, transfer the logs one at a time to a cutting board and slice diagonally about 3/4 inch pieces.
  14. Return cookies to the cookie sheet, standing them upright for even baking, and return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
  15. Let cookies cool on wire rack.
  16. Once cooled, dip the bottom flat end of biscotti into the melted chocolate.
  17. Scrape excess chocolate with an offset spatula.
  18. Place dipped biscotti upright on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  19. Let stand till chocolate is set.

Recipe Notes

Melt chocolate in microwave, on high setting, in 30 second intervals.
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.

 

 

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