By Ryan McKay
I love coffee. Full stop. The smell alone will wake me up and stir all my senses. However, a cruel twist of fate doesn’t allow me to consume it with out paying a terrible price. So whatever vehicle coffee is consumed with has to be worthy. Enter Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti.
The fire service has been run on coffee for generations. I can remember my first-year tour in Riverside, California, rushing to the firehouse to make a fresh cup of coffee before the outgoing shift left and my shift began. Even though I couldn’t drink it, I understood the importance it played with tradition and fueling the fellas. These biscotti are a great way to share that coffee.
Biscotti, or “twice cooked” in Italian, are oblong-shaped cookies perfect for cold or hot beverages. The double exposure to a hot oven makes them keep their texture even after sitting in a hot cup of Joe. Not too sweet with a good distribution of fixings, these are a great holiday gift or cookie for Santa; indulge!
A few after the fire critiques: I added the pistachios and semisweet chocolate chips here, but feel free to add any nut, dried fruit, or chocolate. All are welcome! I dunked mine in milk, but they have been known to pair well with coffee, latte, or hot chocolate, so dunk away.
Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti
Fuel:
AP Flour (2 Cups)
Baking Powder (1½ tsp.)
Cinnamon (1 tsp., ground)
Salt (1 tsp.)
Unsalted Butter (½ Cup at room temperature)
Light Brown Sugar (½ Cup)
Granulated Sugar (½ Cup)
Instant Espresso or Finely Ground Coffee (1 Tbsp.)
2 Eggs
Pistachios (1 Cup, coarsely chopped)
Semisweet Chocolate Chips (1 Cup)
Tools:
Stand Mixer
Baking Sheets
Wire Rack
Various Bowls
Silpat or Parchment Paper
Fine Mesh Sieve
Serrated Knife
Spatula
Tactics:
Makes about 2 dozen.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl; set aside.
- Using the mixing bowl on the stand mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and espresso/coffee. Set the mixer to high speed and beat until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low, add the pistachios and chocolate ships, and mix in.
- Add flour mixture and mix just until incorporated or flour disappears.
- Divide the dough in half. Place each half onto a prepared baking sheet. Using lightly floured hands, form each half into a log measuring 3 inches wide and ¾ inch high.
- Bake until firm to the touch, about 25 minutes (the logs will spread some during the baking; this is normal). Remove the whole logs from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheets, about 5-8 minutes.
- Using a spatula, carefully transfer the logs to a work surface. Using a serrated knife, cut into ½ inch slices. Arrange the slices, cut side down, on the baking sheets and bake until the bottoms are brown, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and turn the slices over. Bake until the bottoms are brown, about 10 minutes longer.
- Transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Should keep for 2 weeks if they don’t get eaten.
Ryan McKay is a 13-year fire service veteran and a firehouse cook from Atlanta, Georgia. His goal is to bring the fast-paced lifestyle of the fire service with the slow-paced art of cultivating family and crew through the tool that is food. He has made an appearance on NBC’s primetime show “Food Fighters,” is a co-founder of the Metro Atlanta EMS Conference, and works intimately with the SafePath Child Advocacy Center.