Emily Luchetti's Chocolate Biscotti

Emily Luchetti is the executive pastry chef at Waterbar and Farallon in San Francisco. One side of the biscotti gets a coating of chocolate and a scattering of cocoa nibs. Melt the chocolate by barely heating it so it remains shiny and "in temper."

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 2  large eggs
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  cup all-purpose flour (more for dusting)
• 1⁄3 cup cocoa powder (Dutch process or natural)
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons instant espresso or 1 1⁄2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 1⁄4 cup  unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped whole toasted
• 1⁄2 cup  cocoa nibs
• 5  ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, 68% -72

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
2. Whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract together in a small bowl; set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, sugars, espresso, almonds and 1/4 cup of the cocoa nibs until thoroughly blended.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until the dough comes together evenly.
5. Divide the dough in half. Dust your work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough into a 12-inch log. The dough is soft so it won't take much pressure to roll. If the dough sticks to the counter or your hands, add more flour.
6. Transfer logs to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the logs are firm, about 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and decrease the oven temperature to 300°.
7. Let the logs cool to room temperature. Slice on a slight diagonal 1/2-inch thick and about 3 inches long.
8. Place the biscotti - cut side up - back on the baking sheet. Bake another 12-15 minutes to dry them out. Let cool on a rack; they will crisp as they cool.
9. Warm the chocolate in the microwave in 10- to 15-second increments. Or, melt the chocolate in a bowl over water that has been brought to a boil, then taken off the heat -stirring frequently - just until melted.
10. Use a small offset spatula or a knife to spread a thin layer of chocolate on a cut side of each biscotti, and place, chocolate side up, on a second rimmed baking sheet. Working in batches, sprinkle the biscotti with some of the remaining cocoa nibs, which will stick as the chocolate sets.
11. Let the chocolate set before serving. Store the biscotti up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.