Chocolate Chip & Orange Biscotti

Now that we're into November (and I do apologize for the total dearth of posts last month!) we are finally into the "it's okay to bake Holiday cookies" season. Namely, it's biscotti season - something I love because, as I'm always finding out, those crunchy, munchy, totally dippable cookie sticks are almost impossible to screw up! I've had a run of mediocre bakes lately (I'm looking at you, Butterscotch Apple Bread), so turning to one of my tried-and-true formulae is definitely a comfort factor.

This year, I discovered that my mom is not alone in her adoration of the chocolate / orange combination! While I still can't get my head around the whole "fruit combo" thing, I will admit that if you are going to mix fruit with anything, chocolate would definitely be up there on my list of things to use. A while back, I reviewed Julie Hasson's 125 Best Chocolate Chip Recipes and came across a recipe for orange and chocolate chip biscotti. I was hooked - what better way to kick off the gifting season than with a surefire combination? Sadly, the recipe as written was too dry to work with, but a boost of flavour and moisture from fresh orange juice (and the requisite zest, of course), I had exactly what I was looking for - citrusy and loaded with chocolate thanks to three chocolate "textures" - mini chips, jumbo chips and chunks!

Chocolate Chip & Orange Biscotti 
Adapted from 125 Best Chocolate Chip Recipes: Quick, Easy, Fun Ideas by Julie Hasson
Makes ~26
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp orange-infused olive or canola oil
zest of 2 oranges
juice of 1 orange
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¾ cups flour
1 cup spelt flour
½ cup vanilla sugar
¼ cup Truvia Baking Blend
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup bittersweet chocolate jumbo chips or chunks
¼ cup miniature chocolate chips
¼ cup coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate

1. Heat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. In a bowl, beat eggs until light and thick, about 3 minutes.
3. Add oil, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla and beat thoroughly.
4. Add the flours, sugar, Truvia and baking powder and beat well, adding 1-2 tbsp water or orange juice if the dough is crumbly.
5. Mix in the chocolate.
6. Divide dough in half and, with damp hands, shape each into a log about 8” long and 1” high.
7. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool on the sheets for 10 minutes.
8. With a sharp, serrated knife, slice each log diagonally into ½” slices.
9. Place slices, cut side down, back onto the sheets and bake 20 minutes longer.
10. Cool completely on the sheets.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 120.2
Total Fat: 4.0 g
Cholesterol: 21.4 mg
Sodium: 8.8 mg
Total Carbs: 20.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g
Protein: 2.8 g