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Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso BiscottiĀ 

May 15, 2017

Today is my mom’s birthday. So everyone say “Happy Birthday” to my mom!

This year I am actually home for my mom’s birthday (and Mother’s Day). Normally I would just send her a card and maybe mail her a gift, but this year since I will be there (which I think is a gift in and of itself) I thought would kick it old school and hand make her something like I did when I was a kid. Maybe a card made out of construction paper and a macaroni picture frame. 

No. If I know my mom, there are two things she would like more than a handmade card and a macaroni picture frame (there are a lot more than two, but let’s just pretend): a nice big cup of coffee and something chocolate. Fortunately, I have the perfect recipe to make that will check both boxes! Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso Biscotti!

Biscotti is the absolute perfect treat to make for anyone in your life who is a coffee drinker. But these chocolate-hazelnut variety amp up the flavor even more. Chocolate and coffee are made for each other. 

Since this was my first time making biscotti, I referenced a few difference recipes, but this one looked the best so my recipe is largely based on it. The only difference is that my dough is flavored with both good quality cocoa powder and ground espresso. I like using the same espresso grounds that I would use to make my morning latte. They are already so finely ground and taste delicious. 

I used Gourmesso’s Colombia Arabica espresso, which was perfect because it was strong and flavorful, but not overpowering. Gourmesso, for those of you who are not familiar, makes Nespresso compatible capsules that are way cheaper than your typical capsules. For references, the Gourmesso capsules I used were 49 cents per capsule. A similar Nespresso capsule costs 74 cents. Not too shabby! Plus they have a ton of flavors and varieties.



Making biscotti dough is exactly like making cookie dough. First cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs and vanilla, then mix in all your dry ingredients. 


What you will end up with is a pretty wet dough. It’s not going to be the consistency of your classic chocolate chip cookie, it will be very very sticky!

Split the dough in half and form them into two logs. Definitely wet your fingers down when you do this so that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands. 

Bake them until they have expended and cracked a bit. They will have a crispy crust, but be a little spongy when you press down on the top.

Once your biscotti logs have cooled to room temperature, you can cut them into slices. Use a serrated knife to get nice even cuts. Then lay the slices on the baking sheet, cut side down and bake again until they are nice and crunchy!


Now, these biscotti are good plain. They do not need any help. But a little extra chocolate never hurt anybody. Especially espresso-spiked chocolate. 

I mixed in a bit more espresso grounds into some melted chocolate to get this rich chocolate flavor. You may be wary about this step if you don’t want a strong espresso flavor. But really espresso just brings out the chocolate flavor more than actually imparting it’s own flavor. Like I said, they are a match made in heaven.


There are a couple techniques to top these with some chocolate. You could just take a spoon and drizzle chocolate on top. Or you can dip them in chocolate. 

To dip them, pour the melted chocolate into a tall skinny glass. Then dip the biscotti in and immediately press into some chopped hazelnuts. 

Um, yum right? Coffee and chocolate are a great combination. But hazelnuts and chocolate are just as good (if not better!). 

I dare you to have just one biscotti with your coffee or espresso. I had about five with my Vanilla Gourmesso Coffee. The crunchy cookies just soaked up the delicious coffee and it made it impossible to stop at one. 

Sounds like the perfect homemade birthday gift for mom! 

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:159] 

/ Filed In: Cookies, Cookies New, Eat
Tagged: biscotti, chocolate, coffee, cookies, espresso, hazelnuts, Latte

Mexican Hot Chocolate Trail Mix

August 8, 2016

Mexican Hot Chocolate Trail MixThe good folks at Nuts.com recently challenged me to create a unique and delicious trail mix in for National Trail Mix day on August 26th. Of course I had to accept! I love nuts (I eat a ton of them every day) and I absolutely love trail mix! 

My favorite trail mixes are anything that combines a few different types of nuts, flavors, and textures. It also must contain something sweet. I consulted my pantry where I currently have no less than 6 different types of nuts to see what inspiration would strike. I eventually got inspiration from one of my favorite cuisines to create this Mexican Hot Chocolate Trail Mix.

Spicy sweet candied pepitas

You may be wondering what is different about Mexican Hot Chocolate. Well, Mexican chocolate, or hot chocolate, typically has some cinnamon and a hint of spice to it. I love to make Mexican chocolate brownies and cookies (recipe coming soon!) by adding a touch of cinnamon and cayenne. To get this flavor incorporated into the trail mix, I candied some pepitas (pumpkin seeds) in a mixture of sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne. 

Chocolatey, spicy, sweet trail mix.

I then mixed those pepitas in with some of my favorite nuts – hazelnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts – and, of course, some chocolate – dark chocolate chips and chocolate covered espresso beans. 

And because this is hot chocolate trail mix, I had to add some marshmallows!

I knew that this would be delicious, but even I underestimated how good this would be. The macadamia nuts are sweet with a slight coconut flavor. The hazelnuts are rich and pair perfectly with the chocolate. Then the almonds provide that classic nut flavor. 

Mexican Hot Chocolate Trail Mix

The icing on the cake is the candied pepitas which are sweet, salty, and a bit spicy. I think the perfect bite of this trail mix is a chocolate chip, marshmallow, a couple pepitas, and a hazelnut. Oh man, it’s delish! I pretty much powered through about half of this jar while watching the Olympics this weekend. 

Mexican Hot Chocolate Trail Mix

What makes trail mix such a fun thing to make is that you can personalize it to fit your tastes! Don’t like macadamia nuts, substitute in with more almonds or cashews. Want more sweetness, use milk chocolate instead of dark, or replace the chocolate covered espresso beans with more chocolate. Seriously, make it your own! You won’t be able to get enough of it!

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:64]

/ Filed In: Desserts, Eat
Tagged: almonds, chocolate, hazelnuts, hot chocolate, macadamia nuts, nuts, pepitas, trail mix

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Hey there, I'm Lindsey. I'm a number cruncher by day and a home cook and baker by night. While I love to eat healthy and find fresh and healthy alternatives for my favorite foods, I will never turn down dessert! Life is all about moderation, right?

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