Cappuccino Biscotti - by Lisa

Ug. I was so not excited about this recipe. I guess that is pretty obvious since I procrastinated it right out of the month of April! Oops...

In the spirit of being a good sport, I will limit my kvetching to just this one sentence: I cannot stand the smell or taste of coffee/espresso/cappuccino, and I really don't like biscotti. So I will be leaving Hubby to taste test and assess how this one turns out. :)

I knew this recipe needed a fair amount of attention given the nature of making biscotti, so I waited until the afternoon when both boys were down for their naps. I got everything assembled pretty quickly, and used up almost the rest of the hazelnuts I had on hand from a prior recipe. The only extra ingredients I had to pick up were the mini chocolate chips and espresso powder. (I'm not 100% confident I picked up the right stuff. I combed the coffee aisle at my grocer and the closest I came was what's in the photo below.)

I did consider substituting cocoa powder for the espresso, but I decided it was best to stay true to the recipe. I also managed to murder another Pyrex spatula while stirring. :P I was even thinking to myself while stirring: "Hmmm...I wonder if this is going to break. Maybe I should have grabbed the wooden...*SNAP*! Ok then..." Anywho, I got everything together, divided the dough in half, shaped them into logs and popped them in the oven.

I pulled them out after a little over 30 min and allowed them to cool for about 10 min. They were then sliced up and returned to the oven to crisp for 10 minutes more on each side.

After B got home, he sampled a piece and gave it a thumbs up. :) They will go on to their final destination at his office in the AM. :)