The rocky road to finals - made a little sweeter!

I am one of the lucky few this quarter who don't seem to have a midterm or paper due every week. However, I can certainly empathize and it gives me that extra motivation to create something delicious for those hungry brains...
I tried this Nutella biscotti recipe before and fell in love, so I thought I'd try making it rocky road (which is Jose's favorite ice cream flavor). I'm not sure how successful the marshmallows were because they tend to melt and basically vaporize when you bake them, so I think I'd leave those out in the future. Just the chocolate chunks are all you really need, but add the sliced almonds for a little extra crunch (and healthy monounsaturated fats). I'm a little obsessed with biscotti these days because they're just so darn sophisticated and yummy and perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. So... bon appetit mes amis!

Nutella Rocky Road Biscotti
Adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 C sugar
1/2 C (6 oz) Nutella, room temperature
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 C all-purpose flour (or 1 3/4 C whole wheat flour and 1 C AP flour)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
~1 C dark chocolate chips (NOT optional)
~1/2 C toasted slivered almonds (optional)
~1/2 C mini marshmallows (optional)


Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the Nutella and beat to blend.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat on low speed just until combined. 
Add the chocolate and mix on low speed until just blended.

Divide the dough in half and place on parchment-lined baking sheet, shaping each half into a 13-inch log.  Press down on the logs to flatten them slightly until they are about 2 inches across.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the logs are firm to the touch.  Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the logs cool completely.

Turn the oven down to 275 F. Use a serrated knife to cut the logs on the diagonal into 3/8-inch thick slices.  Place the cookies, cut side down, on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cookies are dry.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Joy in a Jar

Nutella is Italy's gift to the world. Not leather, blown glass, lace or architecture (heck, not even political systems) - it's chocolate and hazelnut brought together in a union I can only describe as foodgasmic. I basically lived off this stuff in Paris, and have been known to consume obscene amounts straight from the jar.

With a raw material this good, the possibilities are endless. The week of finals last quarter, my roommates and I went through about four jars of Nutella and made brownies, cookies and biscotti. You know, focusing on academic achievement. I started with the basic Good For Everything cookie base but found that adding Nutella significantly altered the consistency of the dough. Of course there was nothing wrong with the taste, but I wanted to see if I could maintain the cookie-ness that I so dearly love.




 


Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
Use the Good For Everything recipe but make a couple of modifications.

- Use half the normal amount of butter
- For every egg, add 1/2 C of Nutella (1 C for a full recipe, 1/2 C for half)

Everything else is the same, but your world will be rocked in an entirely new way. Lives will be changed, relationships saved, world peace reached. No sweat.