Chai Latte Biscotti

I am a little chai obsessed and a little biscotti obsessed so this was a match made in heaven for me. The recipe comes from an Australian Women's Weekly cookbook called Sweet Things, which I received for Mother's Day from one of my daughters.  She knows me well, and after looking through the book I gave up putting sticky notes on the recipes I wanted to try since it was obvious that I wanted to try them all!  Look for more treats from this book as I bake my way through it.

Biscotti is the perfect accompaniment to a good cup of tea or coffee.  My preference is for a slightly thicker biscotti so that I can dunk it - yes, I am a dunker - so after the first bake I cut mine slightly thicker than the recipe suggests.  I need a little structural integrity to my biscotti because the dunking does weaken them, and there is nothing worse than a sinking cookie in your beverage.  Also, be careful not to over bake them because they will turn into lethal weapons for your teeth.

The spice mix in these cookies is really nice, but the next time I bake them I will probably up the quantities a little bit.  The original recipe did not call for star anise or peppercorn, but I love the flavor of a spicy chai.  Also, in an effort to start cleaning out my pantry, I used salted shelled pistachios because I have a big bag of them that I purchased from Sam's Club.  It didn't seem to make the recipe too salty, so if that is what you have I say go for it.

Chai Latte Biscotti
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 English Breakfast tea bag
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground star anise
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground black peppercorn
• ½ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup roasted, unsalted pistachios

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment.
3. To the bowl of a food processor; add the contents of the teabag, flours and spices and process until fine.
4. Whisk brown sugar, egg and honey in a medium bowl until well combined.
5. Stir in the flour mixture and nuts.
6. Using you hands make sure everything comes together and then place on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
7. Shape the dough into a log, about 10 inches long and place on prepared sheet.
8. Bake for about 30 minutes, and then cool completely on sheet.
9. Reduce oven temperature to 300℉.
10. Using a serrated knife, cut the log diagonally into 1/4-inch slices, and place slices in a single layer back on the sheet.
11. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn them over.
12. Return sheet to the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes, or until biscotti are dry and crisp.
13. Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe slightly adapted from Sweet Things by the Australian Women's Weekly.