Pine Nut Rosemary Chocolate Biscotti

The real title of this post should be Toasted Pine Nut Rosemary Chocolate Chip Brown Sugar Biscotti. That title is a mouthful, albeit a delicious one. However, Pine Nut Rosemary Chocolate Biscotti is slightly less work to explain. This is what happens when you use up leftover bits and bobs in your kitchen: You make clean out your pantry biscotti. Creating this recipe with leftover ingredients is a win for both me and my kitchen.

My Rosemary Plant Harasses Me

Like a stalker, my planter of fresh rosemary just won’t give up this winter. We’ve had two snowstorms this past month, one being a monster. Regardless, every time I step outside on my NYC terrace, the plant still stands up fresh-looking at me, all perky-like, saying, “Pick me! Use me!” I suppose I should be grateful. However,  sometimes, secretly, I just want to slap it. I get stressed about using up ingredients.

Anyway, I was all full of myself about this Pine Nut Rosemary Chocolate Biscotti creation until I made a classic rookie food blogger mistake. After toasting the pine nuts to add to the biscotti batter, I added them all. Yep, not thinking to save a tablespoon or two for styling. Almost six years of food blogging, and I am still a dummy. Oy.

I’m blaming it on the fact that I worked all weekend producing a commercial. At the same time, trying to create food blog posts. And I used to be such a multi-tasker.

In the middle of bemoaning my lack of toasted pine nuts and contemplating a market run. Suddenly,  there was that annoying rosemary again, all Eve Harrington-like, once more saying,  “Pick me! Use me!”

Oh-KAY, already, so I resisted the store trip. And Miss Rose Mary got to co-star on the biscotti plate for the photo session. She was so ready for her close-up.

To Dip or Not to Dip, That is the Question:

These Pine Nut Rosemary Chocolate Biscotti are really lovely, unusual, and tasty biscotti. Many biscotti recipes are so good that dipping them in chocolate is overkill. I can vouch that these are too, but the extra layer of chocolate really enhances the flavor.

I made two sizes, regular and a mini version. Because I was bringing them to the set as finger food for the talent and crew. The mini version is easy. After the first bake, in the cutting stage, cut the log in half lengthwise. Then slice the biscotti as normal for the second bake.

Print

Toasted Pine Nut Rosemary Chocolate Chip Brown Sugar Biscotti

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Biscotti recipe, Chocolate chip biscotti, homemate biscotti, Pine Nut Biscotti, Rosemary Biscotti

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 20 biscotti

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 3/4 cup pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary needles
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips/or chopped regular-sized chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Roughly chop the pine nuts and place them in a naked frying pan. Toast the nuts over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Watch them carefully, it's easy to burn them. When the pine nuts are lightly toasted, remove them from the heat and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Whisk together the flour and baking powder and set aside.
5. Beat butter and brown sugar until combined.
6. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and dark rum.
7. Turn mixer speed down to low and beat in the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.
8. Mix in the pine nuts, chocolate chips, and rosemary.
9. Divide the dough in half.
10. Shape the dough with your hands into a long log about 3 inches wide on one side (lengthwise) of the baking sheet. Pat the top down to make it flat.
11. Repeat with the other half, making sure there is at least 2 inches between the logs.
12. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the logs turn golden brown.
13. Turn the oven down to 250F.
14. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the biscotti loaves stand about 10 minutes.
15. Slice each log into 1-inch pieces.
16. Lay them on their sides and return to the oven for 10 minutes or until they are completely dry.
17. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely.
18. Plate and serve

Recipe Notes

For the Chocolate Dipped Version:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Vegetable shortening, if needed

Directions:
Place a wire rack over baking paper.
Put chocolate in a shallow heat-proof bowl and melt in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted.
Alternately, place the chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat and melt. If the chocolate is too thick, add vegetable shortening, a dab at a time, and blend. It will thin out the chocolate and make it easier to dip the biscotti.
Dip the bottoms of the biscotti into the melted chocolate.
Lay biscotti on its side on the wire rack. If the spaces in the rack are big enough to stand the biscotti upside down, do so with the chocolate dipped side up.
When the chocolate has hardened, plate and serve.

So, do you like these Pine Nut Rosemary Chocolate Biscotti?  Then also check out some of these other delicious recipes:

TOMATO SOUR CREAM PESTO TART

CHOCOLATE NUT HEART COOKIES WITH PINK PEPPER GLAZE

SMOKED ALMOND CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCOTTI