Hazelnut, Chocolate and Dried Cherry Chai Cantucci

Just a little treat to get us through the final month or so of Winter.  Maybe I shouldn’t be so optomisitic. 

We have been known to see a good dumping of snow even up to mid April.  So while in my heart Spring may be moments away, my brain tells me to get a grip with reality.  

Not that I really want Winter to end just yet.  I really do wish we get a few more snow storms, or (holding my breath) a blizzard!  Out in the east coast of Canada, they had to deal with an honest to goodness blizzard just a couple of weeks back.  The kind of blizzard where the snow drifts covered the front doors and garage doors.  Where they had to climb out the second story windows to get down to the ground to start shovelling out.  I know that this comes with a whole set of logistical problems and concerns, and I’m not trying to minimize any danger that ones may have found themselves in.  But come on, talk about snow days for literal days!  The kids out there must have had a blast, tobogganning, skiing, snowshoeing and making forts.  I know I would have been in heaven!!

And for the adult me, after a good time outside, it would have been a great opportunity for nesting.  Cocooning inside with blankets, hot chocolate, fireplace on overtime, baking and chilli and roasting marshmallows.  All the things that make winter fun.  Candles, movies, books. Not feeling guilty for laying low.

But still, we do want Spring.  It will come.  We just need to keep busy till it gets here.  So here is a fun little recipe to keep you occupied in the kitchen for a little bit.  And these Cantucci (the fancy and official twice baked cookie from Italy; most Italians just use ‘biscotti as the generic word for ‘cookie’) are perfect for a coffee break, or even a fun breakfast treat. Although in Italy they dunk these cookies in sweet dessert wine.  I’m not thinking we are ready to do this for breakfast quite yet.  But you do you.

These are the classic twice baked biscotti we think of when we in North America think of the word biscotti.  The large, oversized ones at Starbucks may be a bit of investment calorie wise, so this are definitely more manageable.  Just a little treat.  The perfect dunking cookie.  I’m kind of on a twice baked cookie lately.  We grew up eating German Zwieback soaked in milk with a bit of sugar and cinnamon.  In India and Great Britain they have a version they call Rusks which I want to try next.  Being twice baked and slightly dried out, all of these cookies keep very well for a long time in a sealed container.

There are as many flavours of these cookies, as there are Nonnas out there.  The orignal Cantucci had only almonds in them. Today’s recipe is a classic nut and dried fruit combo, with a bit of chocolate and chai spices for good measure.  They are sweet without being too sweet.  The chai spices elevate these to the next level.  The aroma as they are baking will make the entire kitchen smell dreamy and slightly exotic.  I had to make these a few times before I got the level of the spices just right!  But I made sure that there is an almond presence, with a sprinkling of almonds on top.

The dough is dense.  No way around it.  Forming the log on the parchment lined baking sheet is easiest with dampened hands.  And after the initial bake, it is best to let the log rest for about 15 minutes to cool down.  And please use a good serrated knife to get as clean of lines as possible.  Another bit of time in the oven and then they are ready for snacking.

Have a girlfriend over for a cuppa and pull a plate of these cookies out.  It will make the gab fest even more special.  And after that visit, we will be one day closer to Spring.

Love Jen

ps, sorry I’ve been a bit slow about recipe posting lately.  It’s not that I don’t have recipes to share.  But I’ve been really busy with a special project that I’ll share with you really soon!  And then you’ll get a whole bunch of recipes to keep you going and well fed 🙂

5 from 1 vote

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Hazelnut, Chocolate and Dried Cherry Chai Cantucci

Course Baking

Cuisine Italian

Keyword biscotti, cantucci, hazelnuts

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Resting Time 15 minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

Chai Spices

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 coriander
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• pinch white pepper

Cantucci

• 2 Large Eggs
• 250 g (1 cup plus 2 tbsp) Granulated Sugar
• 260 g (2 cups plus 2 tbsp) AP Flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 100 g (2/3 cup) Hazelnuts, chopped
• 75 g (1/2 cup) Dark Chocolate chunks or chips
• 75 g (1/2 cup) Dried Cherries
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup flaked almonds you may not use all of this

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. You may need to use two sheets if they are smaller.
2. Blend the chai spices together in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the eggs with the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and blend on medium for around 10 minutes.
4. Add the chai spice blend and combine till incorporated.
5. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the chopped hazelnuts, chocolate and hazelnuts, and mix well.

6. Add this to the egg and sugar mixture in three equal portions, blending well on slow speed between additions. The dough will be dense, or a little stiff.

7. Pat the dough into two logs on the baking tray(s). They should be roughly 25 cm (11 inches) long and 9 cm (3 1/2 inches) wide.

8. Beat the egg white with a fork, and brush the tops of the two logs with it. Sprinkle the logs with the sliced almonds. Press them gently into the egg whites.

9. Bake for 25 minutes until they are firm to the touch. Remove the baking sheet(s) from the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, reduce the heat to 325F (165C)

10. Using a good serrated knife, slice each log diagonally into 2 cm (3/4 inch) slices. Use a good back and forth sawing motion, not pushing down into the log. Place the slices on a cut side on the parchment paper.

11. Return the baking sheets to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the cookies over and bake for another 10 minutes.
12. Let cool on the baking sheet.

Recipe Notes

I was inspired by Patisserie Makes Perfect Hazelnut and Dried Cranberry Biscotti, here.  But I did make some adjustments.