Red Velvet Biscotti

Red Velvet Biscotti 

Here we are in Florida and we’ve had three stormy days in a row. Not the kind of weather you want to take a walk in.  I'm talking torrential rain!  What do you do on a rainy day in Florida? Well, if you’re me, you bake. Since my biscotti jar was empty, I knew just what to bake! Having a biscotti with my morning tea is guilty pleasure.  So, my morning was spent baking these delicious, deep chocolatey biscotti from Paula Deen!

I didn’t have my favorite recipes with me. However, I did have a few bookmarked on my computer that I hadn’t tried yet.  The one that really caught my attention was Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Biscotti.  Ooohh!  Most of you, who read my blog, know I’m a biscotti aficionado!!  I found this recipe a few months ago, while browsing her website.  As much as I enjoy watching Paula on TV and visiting her webpage, I find most of her recipes do not fit the way we eat.  So, when I found this recipe for Red Velvet Biscotti I was quite surprised; no fat except from the eggs.  I added a tablespoon of olive oil, cut the sugar by ½ cup and used toasted walnuts instead of almonds.

This made a really deep rich chocolatey biscotti.  On the Paula Deen webpage it says "these cookies are really more mahogany than red”.  I agree!  They are also luscious and decadent tasting. Another biscotti recipe to add to my favorites!

Decadent and luscious

Mix all dry ingredients, then add food coloring and olive oil

After you mix all the ingredients, make your logs and place on a cookie sheet, then flatten as above and bake for 30 minutes at 350〫

Cool on rack, then slice on the diagonal 

Bake for 30 more minutes at 300〫...turning each biscotti over halfway through baking

Perfect with my morning tea…or maybe for dessert with a glass of wine

The rain moving in over the Gulf

What do you do on a rainy day at the beach~if you’re me you bake!

Red Velvet Biscotti
adapted from Paula Deen

Servings: 2 dozen extra large cookies

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 1 hr


Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
11/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 bottles red food coloring
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups toasted walnut pieces
5 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 lb. white chocolate, melted for dipping (I used dark chocolate for drizzling)


Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, food coloring, olive oil, baking soda and salt. Mix for 30 seconds on low speed to combine. Add the walnuts and mix well.
In medium mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla. On low speed, pour the eggs into the dry ingredients and mix just to form a soft dough.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. This is a very messy job, because the dough is a bit wet. On a lightly floured work surface, shape each piece into a 14-inch log. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets, placing 2 logs on each baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Then pat them down, they should be about 1 inch thick and a couple inches wide. (I rinse my hands often, because the dough is sticky, and I keep them slightly wet while handling the dough.)
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the logs are lightly browned and firm. Let cool completely on the baking sheets on wire racks. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.

Transfer one of the cooled logs to a cutting board. With a heavy sharp knife, cut the log into 3/4-inch-thick slices. If sliced crosswise, each log will average 24 small cookies. If cut on an angle, each log will yield about 16 large pieces. Repeat with the remaining logs. Spread the cookies on the parchment-lined sheets.
Bake the cookies for 30 minutes, turning halfway through baking, until crisp. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and cool completely.
Melt white chocolate over a double boiler or in a microwave using a microwaveable bowl. Dip ends of cooled biscotti into melted chocolate and dry on waxed paper. Serve with coffee or tea.