Satisfy My Sweet Tooth

Tag Archives: almonds

Cherry Almond White Chocolate Biscotti

August 3, 2011 – 9:35 am

My in-laws recently returned from a wedding in Door County, Wisconsin, which is an area of Wisconsin known for their cherry orchards. They are so thoughtful and know how I love to bake and so they sent home a package of dried cherries for me to play with. I have been debating between muffins, bread and cookies and so when my husband and I were invited over to some new friends’ house last weekend I thought that Cherry Almond White Chocolate Biscotti would make a lovely hostess gift.

Biscotti remind me of being with my grandma and dipping biscotti into our tea as a bedtime snack. I have made different types of biscotti to give as gifts many times and the same events seem to play out each time. I give the biscotti and hope that the receiver will enjoy it later that evening or the next morning dunked in coffee or tea. But often my kind recipients are too gracious and insist on having a bite immediately! I know this is meant with the best of intentions and should be flattering, but then I am left sweating and cringing as they bite into the hard cookie and I just wait for the sound of a broken tooth! Thankfully, this fear of mine has never come true (yet!) and I should know by now to just put a giant disclaimer on the package: ”NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DENTAL TREATMENT THAT BECOMES NECESSARY AS A RESULT OF NOT DIPPING THESE COOKIES!”

Cherry Almond White Chocolate Biscotti

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: bake breakfast dessert snack cherry pistachio cookie biscotti

Ingredients

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 Tbsp coconut oil (you could use canola instead)
2 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
3/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup, plus 1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl.

Beat sugar, eggs, oil and almond extract in large bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Add flour mixture in 3 increments and beat until smooth.

Add almonds, cherries and white chocolate chips.

Divide dough into two and place pieces side-by-side onto cookie sheet. Wet your fingers with water and shape the dough into one large log or 2 smaller 1 1/2-inch thick logs.

Bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool log(s) on sheet for 30 minutes and reduce oven temperature to 325°.

Transfer log(s) to cutting board and cut in to 1/2-1 inch thick slices. Stand cut biscotti pieces upright on cookie sheet spaced about 1/4-inch apart and bake another 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Melt remaining 1 cup white chocolate chips using double boiler and dip biscotti into melted chocolate or drizzle it over the top.

Wet your fingers with water before shaping the dough to prevent sticking

Cut baked biscotti into 1/2-1 inch slices

Once the biscotti have been baked twice, dip them in the melted white chocolate

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Tags almonds, Biscotti, cherries, Cookies | Comments (3)

Mexican chocolate shortbread: this may change your life

July 15, 2011 – 8:00 am

You know how you return from vacation and although it is good to be home, you can’t help but have a bit of the vacation blues? If you are like me, it can put you into a little slump wishing you could still be lying on the beach in Mexico, strolling down the Champs Elysees or skiing down the Rockies for example. That’s why I have decided to declare it “Mexico Week” at Satisfy My Sweet Tooth. You don’t mind if I extend my vacation through food with you, do you? We started with enchiladas, so I bet you know what that means! Time for the sweet stuff!

When I was in Mexico after dinner one night I asked for a hot chocolate. What I received was not your ordinary hot chocolate. It was Mexican Mayan chocolate melted by pouring steamed milk over it. It was creamy, slightly spicy from the cinnamon and utterly comforting. When I asked our server Emilio about it, he said that this was the traditional way to make hot chocolate in Mexico and that there is one main brand of chocolate that has been produced for over 70 years called Abuelita. The brand was recently purchased by Nestle but you can still only purchase it in Mexico. On the menu they called it “Grandma hot chocolate” and I’m guessing that has something to do with the adorable woman on the package enticing you to have a cup.

I have always enjoyed the combination of chocolate and cinnamon.
It just seems to warm me from the inside. I remembered that I had this recipe for Mexican chocolate shortbread that incorporates this flavor combination and so as a tribute to Grandma Abuelita and Emilio, here it is: warm, chocolatey, spicy shortbread. After making these, I can truly say, they may change your life. No, I am not that delusional to think that a baked good could actually change your life but it’s about the little things. And if tasting this delectable treat can make you smile and feel comforted, well then that is life-changing enough for me .

Mexican Chocolate Shortbread

by adapted from Food Network Magazine

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate cookie Mexican

Ingredients

12 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp sliced almonds, plus more for topping
6 Tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powser
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tsp for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350

Butter 9-inch baking dish (*I save the butter wrapper after I put the butter in my bowl and wipe the inside of the wrapper around my dish-easy and clean) and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all 4 sides

Pulse almonds in food processor until finely ground then add flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt and cayenne pepper and pulse to incorporate

Beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy

Add flour mixture and beat until just combined

Press dough evenly into prepared pan (I rubbed my fingers on a butter wrapper before doing this to prevent sticking and tantrums as a result of frustration from the potential sticking)

Prick the dough all over with fork, then using a knife cut into long pieces, (about 12 pieces) top with almonds and sprinkle with remaining sugar

Refrigerate dough until firm, about 10 minutes

Bake until slightly puffed and firm 30-35 minutes

Remove from oven and immediately retrace the strips with a knife and cool completely

Lift parchment to remove shortbread from pan and separate into bars

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger.