Union Square Cafe’s Chocolate Biscotti Recipe (2024)

Metric Mise-en-PlaceAll-Purpose Flour 240gCocoa Powder 78gDark Brown Sugar (lightly packed) 320gSalt 1 teaspoonBaking Soda 1 teaspoonGranulated Sugar 80gButter 57 g (4 Tablespoons, 1/2 stick U.S.)Vanilla Extract 1 TablespoonExpresso (double strength) 1 teaspoonEggs 4, one of which beaten with one Tablespoon waterChocolate Chips 212gRaw Sugar 25g

To handle the wet dough, just directly place divided dough onto prepared baking sheet. Then apply egg wash to your hands and shape. Someone asked "your hands??" appalled at the cleanliness factor...to which an easy response is that this is going in a 350 degree oven for half an hour.

Was out of espresso/ coffee, so I added a touch of almond extract. Delicious!

I had no problem with this dough. Not sure why people had a problem with a sticky dough. I added a tad more cocoa powder. Now, not sure it helps I got my pastry degree from Cordon Bleu. But, I hv tried other chocolate biscotti recipes and found the doughs to be sticky. This one came out perfect. I think the trick is to add a bit more cocoa. Also, when I rolled out, I put some flour on my kitchen island so it would not stick. I rolled out to 12” long, 2” wide.

I used 1 tsp espresso powder in place of brewed (because a tsp of brewed espresso???). Wonderful recipe. Did not have any issues with dough being too wet like others; similar feel to other biscotti doughs I've made.

When I make biscotti, I use Maida Heatter's method: Spoon half the dough on to a large piece of plastic wrap in more or less a log. Fold the edges of the plastic wrap over. Shape the dough through the plastic. No mess! Put logs on a cookie sheet and freeze an hour or longer. When you're ready to bake, just remove the plastic wrap, and put them on a baking sheet. (Warning: I only make biscotti that are butterless. IDK if that makes a difference wrt this technique.)

I did two batches - one following the recipe and the other substituting mint extract and white chocolate chips and excluding the espresso. Both turned out well (though the wetness of the original recipe struck me as a little too much). The white chips really look striking. Next time, I think I'll try adding nuts for contrast.

I am guessing the people who had no trouble with the sticky dough used dip and sweep method to measure flour. That can add almost 50% to the correct weight of flour in a recipe. Correct method is to spoon into the cup and level off. Going to make as written tomorrow, even though I think the sugar is almost double what it should be! And try a middle course with the flour, one cup dipped and one cup spooned.

use espresso powder instead and leave out the liquid

This note are for those who already made the recipe as is; I altered the recipe quite a bit. They are not overly sweet (a plus to me) & go great with coffee.I added chopped dried cherries, pistachios and swapped dark chips (60%) for milk. I left off the egg wash & sugar. I added 1 tab freeze-dried espresso to the dry mix instead of the liquid variety.The dough was sticky/soft. I placed it in the refrig overnight & divided into 4 logs. Baked for 45 mins. No trouble cutting after 45 mins.

My family called these “Mandelbaum Broit, or bread.” One grandmother also used apple sauce for some liquid. Another used regular mayonnaise for the oil or butter! We always sprinkle a bit of cinnamon sugar over them during the 2nd baking. Fond memories of our “bubbies” preparing these, often with the help of little grandkids’ hands in the mix.

This dough is quite sticky. Wetting hands slightly makes it easier to work with when shaping.

These biscottis are so yummy! I added cranberries and nuts.
I just don't know how the recipe could yield 60-80 cookies, especially when I look at the picture.

This is a large recipe, and dough was very sticky. 2nd time I used my kitchen aid mixer and wore gloves! I used powdered espresso and made it xtra strong. I did not like the chocolate chips, so added sliced almonds and a bit of almond extract the second time. My husband said they were the best Izvestia ever made. They spread wider when cooking.

Cut right away with a thin knife

90g cocoa240g flour350g br sugar66g sugar56g butter213 g choc chips

Sticky dough? Dump the dough straight from the mixer bowl onto a clean countertop dusted with cocoa powder. Wet hands and quickly mold into a ball, divide into 2 and roll into 2 logs. Transfer to baking sheet. Presto.

The key with handling biscotti dough is to refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling into logs. However these really spread so I shouldn’t have flattened as much as I did; the cookies will be very small. But flavor is great.

So, I just made these as the recipe suggests (except I did not have espresso so I used 1 tsp. espresso powder). They spread more than any other biscotti I've made--to the point where some were 7" long when cut (and very flat). Maybe the comment about using baking powder instead of soda is correct? Also, even though I made 15" logs and put them diagonally on their own baking sheets, I still ended up with only 40 cookies. I think 60-80 is unrealistic. I will make again with some alterations.

I failed to read the comments, which was my first mistake. The recipe was very soft, and I wondered about the wet to dry ingredients ratio, which seemed off. It was tricky to work because it was such a soft dough, but rolling in parchment worked. I did freeze the dough shaped into the logs, which is a habit. Thank goodness I used a jelly roll pay because it became one very large cookie. While the flavor was good I tossed the lot and will not use the recipe again.

Amazing! Easy to make with show stopping results.

Original recipe multiplied by 0.5*Recipe rounded to nearest cooking fraction1 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cups lightly packed dark brown sugar 1/8 cup granulated sugar 1 ounces (4 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon double-strength brewed espresso 1 1/2 large eggs 3 3/4 ounces (1 rounded cup) small milk chocolate chips

Oh how I wish Nyt would use grams instead of cup measurement. Made these several times. It’s always a surprise what comes out of the oven. Todays are deeply chocolate. Used instant espresso and a bit more cocoa and less sugar. Excellent and sophisticated cookie. I’ll drizzle white chocolate over them to make it even more sophisticated. I rolled the logs in cocoa when forming them. No problem with sticky dough but my Kitchen Aid took a beating. Had to add a tad more water to get it moving.

Here I am going back to this recipe for chocolate biscottis again and again. It's just great.

As one of my favorite biscotti recipes, I have made this recipe many times, using KAF dark cocoa and bittersweet chips, which produces a divine, rich but not too sweet biscotti. But this year, for some reason the biscotti rise but then flatten too much toward the end of baking. Could it be my baking soda? Could I add a pinch of baking powder to counter the quick rise but final flattening?

My dough was too wet so I added a little more flour. I spooned dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and covered it and then used my hands (on top of plastic wrap) to shape it into loaves. Zero mess. And then put in refrigerator to chill a bit. Agree you only need like 20 minutes after first bake before cutting.

The dough comes out super sticky but when baked on a silicon baking mat, usually still comes out fine. Love making these, they’re an absolute hit when I do!

Wow! Is this biscotti really good!Easy also.

Read all the notes before you begin!I read notes 1/2 through and had already brewed the espresso- thankfully, it seemed odd to me and I decided to check the notes - do not use liquid espresso. My alterations:-used 2 teaspoons espresso powder.-added 1 teaspoon baking powder in addition to the 1 teaspoon of baking soda because one baker said her batch did not rise - and mine were fine.-cut the brown sugar to 1 cup and cut the granulated sugar to 1/4 cup.-add 1 cup semi sweet mini choc chips