Chocolate, Peanut and Coconut Twice-Baked Biscuits
What a delightful surprise it was to me to have tried these biscotti from Nicola Lamb’s “Sift” baking book. They are really easy to make and the final effect is so rewarding. Rich, toasty, slightly salty and they also carry a hint of coffee (espresso powder), which introduces a bit of balance and a very pleasant, almost imperceptible bitterness. A must try.
For 16-20 biscuits
- 80 g of butter, softened
- 80 g of caster sugar
- 200 g of plain flour, sifted
- 2 medium eggs
- 2 g of baking powder, sifted
- 3 g of flaky sea salt
- 80 g of roasted salted peanuts (if they are not salted add an extra pinch of salt to the dough), you could coarsely chop them if you like
- 1 1/2 of a teaspoon of espresso powder
- 100 g of milk chocolate chopped into small pieces (0.5 cm)
- 65-75 g of desiccated coconut
Preheat the oven to 195 C / 175 C Fan.
Cream the butter and the sugar until well mixed and a little bit fluffy, for about two minutes. I used a standing mixer with a paddle attachment to do it. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one by one.
Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and espresso powder. Paddle the dry ingredients through the butter mixture. A wet dough will form. Now stir in the peanuts and the chocolate chips.
Fill a clean tray with the desiccated coconut. Move the dough onto the tray and divide into two equal parts. You could also do this on any clean work top.
Roll and press the dough into two rectangular logs, 2 cm in height and 5-6 cm wide (roughly). Make sure they are well formed without any holes. Press the desiccated coconut into the surface of each log, ensuring it’s covered all over.
Move the logs onto a clean baking tray lined with baking parchment.
Bake the logs for 25-30 minutes. They will spread and rise slightly, turn pale golden brown and crack on the surface.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray for 20 minutes.
Slice the logs with a sharp knife into 2 cm-thick pieces on the diagonal (Nicola advises to use a serrated knife).
Reduce the oven temperature to 160 C / 140 C Fan.
Lay the wedges back on the baking tray and bake for an additional 25 minutes, flipping them half way through. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool down.
You should end up with a tender but crisp (still tooth friendly) biscuit.
If you desire you could melt some dark or milk chocolate over a ban-marie, and dip the biscuits into the chocolate, either just the edges or in half vertically. I find the biscotti perfect as they are, but if you have a particularly sweet tooth, why not give them a lovely chocolaty coating.
The biscuits can be stored in an air tight container for up to two weeks, if they manage to last that long in your home.
