Mocha Biscotti

These mocha biscotti are laced with both brewed coffee and ground beans, and peppered with chocolate chips and cacao nibs.

I am a sucker for a good cup of coffee, but when you add chocolate to the mix there is no way I'm turning it down! These days I eschew the over-sweetened, over-priced coffee shop versions in favour of my own scaled back model - cocoa, stevia, coffee and cashew milk with just a pinch of salt, and maybe with a shot of vanilla syrup if I'm feeling fancy. That's it though - no whipped cream, sprinkles or chocolate sauce. If I'm having a mocha, I want to taste the glorious marriage of coffee and chocolate!

In a sense, I feel this way about most of the baked goods I enjoy. I can be sold on a plain cookie that packs a solid, complex flavour, while ignoring the most elegant, decorated treat on a dessert tray if it tastes of nothing but sugar. By and large, I go for the less-sweet side of the spectrum, which is far easier to achieve when you bake for yourself. When I made these mocha-inspired biscotti, I knew the coffee and chocolate had to be front and centre, just balanced by sweetness and a hint of nuttiness (evoking memories of my favourite drink!). The key was to utilize ground coffee as well as the brewed stuff for two layers of rich bitterness, along with both cacao nibs and chocolate chips for pure chocolate essence. Spelt flour and cashew milk cornered the "nuttiness" aspect.

The result was exactly what I was looking for in a cookie designed for dunking - crunchy, full of complexity, but not so "out there" that it tasted muddled. I left off glaze or chocolate so that the sticks held up a bit better in hot liquid, but you do you - I personally would add something like a Frangelico glaze, should you be so inclined.

Mocha Biscotti
Makes 14
2 ¾ cups spelt flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. freshly ground coffee beans
2 tbsp. flaxseed meal
3/4 cup warm freshly-brewed coffee
1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used cashew)
1 tbsp. vanilla
¼ cup cacao nibs
¼ cup miniature chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, coffee beans, flaxseed, brewed coffee, non-dairy milk, and vanilla.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt to make a dough.
4. Fold in the cacao nibs and chocolate chips..
5. Spread the batter into a log on the cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 35 minutes. Reduce the oven to 325F
7. Cool for 20 minutes, then cut into 1/2" thick slices and place, cut side down, back onto the baking sheet.
8. Bake biscotti for 10 minutes, then turn them over and bake the other side for an additional 10 minutes. Cookies should feel firm with a slightly soft center. They will crisp as they cool.
9. Cool in the oven.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 165.5
Total Fat: 3.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 4.6 mg
Total Carbs: 34.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.2 g
Protein: 3.9 g