This is a recipe I have borrowed from my mother, who made them as a treat for herself this Christmas. Lets just say she did not get to keep them to herself. I have adjusted the recipe a bit and I encourage everyone to try his or her own twist on it. You can leave out the coffee or the cinnamon or substitute the hazelnuts with other kind of nuts.

150 g slightly salted butter
100 g brown sugar
125 g caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbs coffee
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1,5 tsp baking powder
300 g of white flour
100 g hazelnuts
200 g dark chocolate

Before you do anything take out the butter and leave on the counter to get soft. Grab the rest of the ingredients and turn the oven to 165 degree Celsius (fan). I use a KitchenAid with a K beater, but a handhold mixer or even some muscle grease and a wooden spoon will work. Cream the butter and the sugars together until light and creamy.

Add one and one egg, incorporating them well each time, then add the coffee, cinnamon and baking powder while you keep whisking. Now add the flour, you should get a sticky firm mixture. Roughly chop the chocolate and with a spatula or wooden spoon mix the chocolate and the nuts through the dough.

Now comes the sticky bit, dividing the dough in two, shape two long sausages on a baking tray lined with baking parchment using the length of the tray. Press the sausages slightly flat (they will spread out a little so leave a bit of space between them). Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes, take out and leave to cool for a couple of minutes before you cut even 1-1.5 cm strips. (I use a second baking tray to lay approx. half of my biscotti on after I have cut them).

Lay the biscotti on their side and put back in the oven for a further 10 minutes, then take out, turn them over and return back to the oven for another 10 minutes. Leave to cool before storing them in a tin or for a pretty mouth-watering treat in a jar on your kitchen counter. Stored airtight you can keep them for a long time, but in my house they barely make it a week.

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