Chocolate Biscotti

Chocolate Biscotti

3 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup sugar

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 TBS baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

3oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

3 large eggs

1/3 cup olive oil

2 TBS each orange juice and rum

1 TBS grated orange peel

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 cup semisweet chocolate baking chips

1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds

12 oz white chocolate

1 TBS Vegetable shortening

                In large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. Add melted unsweetened chocolate, eggs, oil, juice, rum, orange peel and vanilla; stir to combine. Add baking chips and nuts; mix until dough is well blended.

                Quarter dough; shape into 4 logs, each about 2 ½ inches wide by 14 inches long. Place 2 longs on each of 2 lightly oiled baking pans. Bake logs in a 350 degree oven until just firm to touch, about 20 minutes. Cool logs slightly in pans; using a serrated knife, cut diagonally into ½ inch wide slices. Place slices cut side down on pans; bake until crisp, about 15 minutes more. Cool cookies.

Meanwhile, in a double boiler melt white chocolate and shortening over hot water, stirring until smooth (or heat in a nonmetal bowl in a microwave oven on 100% power for 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval, until soft and smooth about 1 ½ minutes total). Dip 1 inch of each cookie about 1 inch into white chocolate to coat. Lay cookies on wire racks until firm; chill to speed process. Serve, or wrap airtight to store up to days; freeze for longer storage.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.