This week’s blog hopping landed me on Vidhya’s space known to all of us as Sugar N Spice. I was really confused with what to choose as there are so many recipes that I liked very much that I wanted to give it a try. She has some delectable American Recipes which I loved but this one definitely caught my attention as I had been seeing these in the Blog world for some time now but kept postponing from trying out as I was not confident enough, I guess.
Also I have never eaten them before so I have got nothing to compare it with and I am depending on you baking experts out there to assure me that what you see here is how it will really turn out.
Apart from trying out this for the first time I even had the gal to go ahead and experiment with it. See how overconfident I have become 
. I convinced myself that even if the outcome was not a biscotti I could always enjoy this as a cookie but the only catch was in convincing my children as they will know the difference.
Going by the “Mmmmmm…” sound that Arun was making as he was enjoying the dough which I had a hard time keeping it away from him, I felt that I have crossed half the well. The next tricky part is getting it not just baked once but twice. The timing and understanding of your oven can help a lot in preventing the biscotti from getting a burnt smell.
With the children around, the anxiety was more as they were frequenting the kitchen asking me whether it is ready and done with and barraging me with umpteen questions of how it will taste, its shape, texture, color etc., which I had a tough time answering as I myself did not have a clue.
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You’ll need:
| All Purpose Flour | 1 cup |
| Whole Wheat Flour | 1/2 cup |
| Oats | 1/4 cup |
| Sugar | 1-1/4 cup |
| Eggs | 2 |
| Baking Powder | 1 tsp |
| Baking Soda | 1/2 tsp |
| Salt | 1/8 tsp |
| Chocolate Chips | 1/2 cup |
| Almonds | 1/2 cup |
| Butter / Vanaspati | 3 tbsp |
| Vanilla essence | 1 tsp |
| Sweet almond extract | 1/2 tsp |
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200 Deg C. Grease a pan and keep it ready.
Pulse the oats in a mixie to a powder. Toast the almonds either in a microwave or a pan and when cool chop it coarsely. You can remove the skin before chopping it but I chose not to.
Sieve together both the flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt twice. To this add the powdered oats, chopped almonds and chocolate chips. Mix well and keep aside.
As the sugar that I used was grainy I powdered it in the mixie. You can skip this if you use fine sugar. Cream together butter and sugar. I used vanaspati as I the butter I had was not enough. Add the eggs one at a time to the sugar mixture and beat well. Arun helped me with this one. To this add vanilla essence and the sweet almond extract and mix well.
To this wet mixture add the flour mixture, little by little and keep mixing it. Using a wooden spatula will help you. The dough was very tight and a bit sticky too. Use all purpose flour to dust your hands for easy handling.
Now comes the part of shaping the dough. we are not going to use any cute cutters here but will shape the dough into a log like or a rectangle shape.
Place the shaped dough on the greased tray and bake for 30 minutes or till it is firm to your hands. Take it out and let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
Place the under cooked log on a wooden board and using a serrated knife and sawing motion of your hand cut them horizontally into thick strips. When you are half way in just press the knife all way down. This will prevent the crumbs from falling off.
Place the cut side down and stack the pieces on the baking tray. Reduce the temperature to 180 Deg C and bake for 10 mins. Take it off the oven and turn the sides for all the pieces. Again shove the tray into the oven and bake for 10 mins. Let it cool.
Chocolate chip Almond Biscotti is ready. Store them in an airtight container and enjoy with your cuppa.
Verdict:
I had to kick myself for putting if off from trying out this long. I had read reviews that it would be crisp but I never expected it to be this crisp and crumbling. It literally gives a cracking sound when you bite. We all loved it very much and this was a best partner for tea. The feel and taste of chocolate chips and almonds in every bite was just too good. DH said that it was similar to the Rusks we get in shops here only this one was with a chocolate flavor. Are both the same? I would love to know from you.
Notes:
| The temperatures and timings given here are based on my oven model. It may differ in yours. |
| I saw that the thinly cut strips just crumbled and broke into pieces while cutting. So cut them into thick ones. |
| A serrated knife works out better saving you from more crumbs. |
I enjoyed my Biscotti with a hot, steaming mug of Cardamom tea and it was bliss. Do not be put off by the process. It is really easy once you start it and worth all the effort.
This is to the Blog Hop Wednesdays and if you want to join the hopping gang do send a mail. Now I am off to check what the other Blog Hoppers had rustled up.
This is also off to WWC:Oats in Baking. 
Wow Radhika…The biscotti looks so tempting!!! Nothing like a cookie too :)) Bookmarked!!!
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner
Wow rads they r so awesome..
This looks absolute perfect. I know the anxiety of a recipe when making for 1st time, but then after that its such much easier, because you can visualize the process better.
Tempting Biscotti, Got reminded of the biscottis available in Karachi Bakery here in Hyderabad
wcrispy ,tempting biscotti try it soon
Wow!! biscotti looks so mouthwatering. Perfect with a cup of hot tea..
Awesome biscottis. Sounds delicious.
Looks delicious..lovely biscotti wid cuppa
perfect n tempting version..:P
Tasty Appetite
biscotti has come out perfect radhika- this is one thing am yet to try too !!
Perfectly done, looks awesome.
Wow !!.. mouth watering recipe and temtpting pics…
Ah, they look super good. Perfect with a cup of tea 🙂
Really wonderful execution of Biscottis- look perfect!
Looks delicious ….yum …nice combo
Wonderfully crisp and delectable biscottis.
tempting biscotti..I have also been putting off making biscottis..
i soo want one ..like right now:-) the first click is perfect!!
Woww.. looks super perfect and tempting.. lovely presentation too !!!
Indian Cuisine
Tepmting crispy biscottis, can feel the taste slurp.
Biscotti’s looks perfect, nice clicks as well.
mouthwatering radika.what a combo of choco and almond.came out nice
woow yummy and tempting biscotti 🙂
ARS Event-E for Egg Recipes
very nice choice…i too have some bookmarked cookies n cakes in her space….came out really good…your all yours clicks were tempting…loved it !!!
would love to try this soon.. Looks too good and perfect..
Gorgeous chocolate biscotti.
Perfectly cone crunchy tea time snacks
Biscottis looks perfect..So crunchy and crisp…
Biscotti looks scrumptious and perfect. Loved the way you made it more healthier by using multigrains like oats and wheat.Next time I bake these will try it your way.
wow very crispy and wonderful Biscotti
Ongoing Event – CC-Appetizers
Hey this looks so perfect and beautiful….will try it soon…
super yummy biscotti, very inviting..
So perfectly done… I love biscotti.. Have one in my blog too… Perfect for dipping in tea!!
http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com/
wow, that is so very nicely done 🙂
Looks delicious .
Delicious biscotti,luks yum…
Looks awesome and wonderful pictures.
Cheers,
Uma
Looks sooo…. good!!!!
wow !looks good 🙂 Wish there was an eggless version too 🙂
Cheers
Kalyani
New Event: Fasting Foods – Vrat ka Khaana Special
Event: healthy Lunchbox ideas – Carrots – all this August
this is really tempting.
Nutty biscottis with chocolate chips looks simply gorgeous and delicious..
The biscotti looks very tempting and very crispy. I would also like to try it.
Hi Radhika, your verdict tempts me immensely to try this. I’m seriously giving this a thought. The pictures talk for it. So crispy and crumbly do they look!!
looks nice Radhika, I would love to try this out!
that really looks delecious
they are awesome
WoW! looks so yuuuummmyyyy..