Today started with the first hunch-shouldered blanket morning of the season, and throughout the day the end of summer could be felt in the breeze. Summer seemed like a fast season this year; I guess it's true that time flies when you're having fun :).
After work today I was feeling inspired, so I decided that I should try being a real I-talian and try my hand at baking some biscotti. I've never been too fond of them in the past, but then again I don't drink coffee and have limited patience for sweets that are trying to break my teeth.
However, today's recipe for cinnamon hazelnut biscotti was perfect! They strike a nice balance between being crumbly and being crunchy, but are definitely a glass-of-milk kind of cookie.
Admittedly, I was impelled to make these buggers based on the bag of hazelnuts and really good bittersweet chocolate I found side-by-side in the big 50% off bin in Hannaford's this week. Normally the chocolate I purchased is $4.99 per box-- pretty steep for my budget, but at $2.50 I couldn't resist the opportunity. Plus, the box was just too charming to pass up. Now, I'd never heard of the Scharffen Berger brand before, but let me tell you now that I'm sure this is the best chocolate I've ever eaten. At 70% cacao it is very bitter, but it's so smooth and delicately balanced with just enough sugar and the faintest aftertaste of whole vanilla beans that it not only gives the dry biscotti a big punch of aroma and flavor in just a little dip, but it was amazing on it's own, too (shh! don't tell!). All I did to combine chocolate and cookie was to melt the former with a splash of milk and a little pad of (unsalted) butter over low heat on the stove top and swipe the tops of the cooled biscotti in this thick mixture. A couple hours later it's hardened up admirably and is nice and shiny because of the little bit of butter.
All in all I think my mission was a success: I am now definitely a biscotti believer. I can't wait to experiment with other flavor combinations!
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