Chocolate biscotti tasty treat for breakfast or brunch

Dear Laura: I’m looking for a recipe for biscotti. I thought I had cut it out of the newspaper but cannot find it. Thank you. – Janet, of Spokane

Dear Janet: Here are a couple of tasty recipes for biscotti, Italian cookies that are baked twice. The first comes from a cookbook I love, featuring Italian breakfast specialties. The second comes from a kids’ cookbook that explores holiday treats from around the world. Enjoy!

Chocolate, Orange and Honey Biscotti

From “Buongiorno! Breakfast and Brunch, Italian Style,” by Norman Kolpas

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup orange-blossom honey

2 extra-large eggs

3 tablespoons grated orange zest

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with nonstick spray.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Put the butter, honey, eggs, orange zest and orange juice in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the flour mixture, reduce the speed to low, and beat just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.

Divide the dough in half and transfer each half to one of the prepared baking sheets, firmly patting and shaping it into a log about 2 inches wide and 1 inch high.

Bake the logs until firm, about 30 minutes; they will spread a little as they bake. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes; reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

With a wide spatula, carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. With a serrated bread knife, cut the logs diagonally into 1/2 -inch-thick slices. As you cut them, arrange the slices cut side down on the baking sheets.

Return the slices to the oven and bake them until their undersides are golden brown, about 7 minutes more. Remove them from the oven, turn them over with a spatula, and bake until the other side is brown, another 7 minutes or so.

With the spatula, transfer the biscotti to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: About 3 dozen

Approximate nutrition per biscotti: 101 calories, 5 grams fat (3 grams saturated, 44 percent fat calories), 1.5 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrate, 20 milligram cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 69 milligrams sodium.

Chocolatiest Chocolate Biscotti

From “The Kids Holiday Baking Book,” by Rosemary Black, recipe originally published in “Cookies Unlimited.”

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 1/4 cups sugar

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4 -inch pieces

6 ounces milk chocolate, cut into 1/4 -inch pieces

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; stir to mix. Stir in the sugar. Add the chocolate pieces to the flour mixture.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a wire whisk. Add the vanilla and beat briefly. With a large rubber spatula, stir the eggs into the flour mixture to form a dough.

On a lightly floured work surface, press the dough together. It will be sticky. Put some flour on your hands and on the work surface but don’t add any more flour to the dough. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a log about 14 to 18 inches long.

Place the logs on the baking sheet and make sure they’re not too close to each other. Press down gently with the palm of your hand to flatten the logs. If there is any excess flour, use a dry brush to remove it.

Bake the logs for about 30 minutes, until they have risen and spread to double their original width. They are done with they feel firm to the touch. Cool the logs on the baking sheet.

Reset the oven racks so that they are in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the baked logs diagonally into 1/4 - to 1/2 -inch-thick slices. Return the biscotti to the baking sheet, cut side down. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. They are done when they are dry and crisp.

Store the cooled biscotti between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in a container with a tight fitting lid.

Yield: About 5 dozen

Approximate nutrition per biscotti: 65 calories, 2.2 grams fat (1.2 grams saturated, 30 percent fat calories), 1.3 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrate, 15 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 28 milligrams sodium.