Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Biscotti

I’m returning to an old favorite with these peanut butter chocolate chip biscotti. Come with me, won’t you?

I feel like I’m in this weird limbo, and I know I’m not alone. I feel settled in my new job, which I really like, but life itself is in a rut. I’ve lost the vigor to read, which was all sorts of on fire this spring. I don’t much feel like cooking, which to be honest isn’t a new summertime issue, but it seems stronger this year. I don’t want to watch any new shows or movies, which seems a shame given that I have all the media options in my house. I just want to go with what I know. I guess when we’re all still adjusting to an uncertain future, with a complete inability to plan anything or check boxes off anywhere, I’m looking for comfort and familiarity and now, it’s where I feel most myself.

peanut butter biscotti

Rather than tackling the list of movies that I swore I was going to watch when my brother waltzed into my home armed with Disney+, I’ve instead gone back to Mary Berry and Pru and Paul Hollywood for some good old fashioned British competition baking.

biscotti

My friends always told me that they found TGBBS relaxing and I didn’t get it on a first watch because it was all nerves, but as I revisit past seasons and old favorite characters, they were right. The stress of not knowing who will win is gone, and so I can enjoy the artistry and humanness that comes with perfecting the perfect biscuit, or completely bombing on a puff pastry.

The perfect biscuit is what we’ve got today in these peanut butter chocolate chip biscotti because a biscotti sort of checks all the boxes and fills all the holes. Cookies for breakfast? Yeah, sure, dunk it in your coffee. Bit of a snack? Yes, with afternoon tea. Dessert? Alone or crushed on ice cream. They sky is the limit with these babes.

I’m digging into the archives and bringing them back from waaaaay into the beginnings of these pages. They came about when I was cooking Italy, and the recipe needed a bit of a reshoot, though not really much of a revamp. They were pretty damn good the first time around.

To recap, a little history.

According to the online magazine, The Nibble, the popular Italian cookie known to all of us as biscotti, which means “baked twice,” traces its origins to Roman times. What we now see as a treat to eat with coffee were originally more about convenience food for travelers. Their hard texture and dry consistency make them a durable choice for travel and nourishment for the long journeys—Pliny boasted that they would be edible for centuries.

The traditional, Tuscan flavoring was usually limited to almond extract, but walk into any coffee shop today and the varieties you’ll find are as plentiful as the colors in a box of crayons. Personally, I’m not a fan of almond extract, but I am a fan of peanut butter. Therefore, I made a peanut butter chocolate variety. If I’m going to mix it up, I’m going nuts. Literally.

peanut butter chocolate biscotti

Also, in the same luscious vibe from Deb’s perfect cookies, we’re using chocolate chunks rather than chocolate chips, and omitting the cashews because they seemed a bit clunky upon reflection.

Upon further reflection, these came out pretty much perfect.

peanut butter chocolate chip biscotti

June 25, 2020

Servings: 24

Prep: 30 min

Cook: 50 min

Total: 90 min

Difficulty: Easy

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Biscotti are an American twist on this Italian twice-baked cookie. Perfect for dunking!

By: Chrissy

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 TB unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chunky JIF peanut butter
1 1/4 cups chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks

Directions

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2 Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Continue to cook until the butter browns and gets a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Step 3 Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Step 4 Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar while beating. Then slowly add the butter and vanilla until evenly mixed, about 30 seconds more. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.
Step 5 While mixing slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 2 additions, mixing just until absorbed. Fold in the peanuts and chocolate pieces.
Step 6 Divide the dough evenly into thirds, and put each portion in the center of a baking sheet. Shape the dough with slightly wet hands into logs about 2-inches wide and 15 inches long.
Step 7 Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. (For even baking take care to rotate the pans– top to bottom and front to back–about half way though.)
Step 8 Cool logs on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 325F.
Step 9 Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut logs crosswise, with a long serrated knife at about a 45 degree angle, into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheets.
Step 10 Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Cool biscotti on the baking sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.