Cornmeal Chili Pepper Biscotti Food

CORNMEAL CHILI PEPPER BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F & lightly grease a cookie sheet.
• In a large mixing bowl beat cheese & butter with electric mixer on medium-high speed for 30 seconds.
• Add chili peppers, baking powder, salt & pepper, beating until combined, & scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
• Beat in eggs, then beat in cornmeal & as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.
• Using a wooden spoon or your hands, stir or knead in any remaining flour.
• Divide dough in half, & shape each half into a 9-inch long loaf.
• Place loaves about 5 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
• Flatten slightly to about 3 inches wide.
• Bake 30-35 minutes or until light brown.
• Cool on cookie sheet for 1 hour.
• When cooled, preheat oven to 325 degrees F, & transfer loaves to cutting board to cut each loaf into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Place slices, cut sides down, on cookie sheet & bake for 15 minutes.
• Turn slices over & bake another 15 minutes or more or until cookies are dry & crisp.
• Transfer to wire rack to cool.

PARMESAN BLACK-PEPPER BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3 eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quarter dough. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging logs about 3 inches apart.
• Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
• Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes.

CRANBERRY-PISTACHIO CORNMEAL BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
• Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and mix until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, until well combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined. Add lemon zest, cranberries, and pistachios and mix until combined.
• Transfer dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat into a log that is roughly 14 by 3 1/2 inches. Bake until firm, lightly browned, and slightly cracked on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies, rotating sheet halfway through, until they begin to brown at edges, 15 to 18 minutes.

CORNMEAL BISCOTTI WITH CRANBERRIES AND PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a nonstick liner.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the granulated sugar and butter. Mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the motor running, add the 2 whole eggs one at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the pistachios, cranberries, and orange zest, and mix on low speed until blended. Add the cornmeal and mix again to blend. Add the reserved flour mixture and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together in a ball, about 20 seconds.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a log about 12 inches long. Transfer to the baking sheet and press to flatten the log to a 1-inch thickness. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
• Bake until the log is just firm to the touch, about 50 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes, then use a serrated knife to slice the log diagonally at 3/4-inch intervals. (The slices may look a little underdone at the center, which is okay.)
• Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the biscotti over, return to the oven, and bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes longer. They will still be somewhat soft but will harden as they cool.
• Cool on a rack. Stored in an airtight container, these biscotti will keep for at least a week.

COCOA-CORNMEAL BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and soda together; whisk in the cornmeal.
• Working with a mixer (using a paddle attachment, if you have one), beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Beat in the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer off, and add the flour-cornmeal mixture all at once. Pulse the mixer a few times to begin incorporating the ingredients without having them fly about, and then mix on low speed until they disappear into the dough. Mix in the chips and almonds. The dough will be thick and heavy.
• Scrape half the dough onto one long side of the baking sheet. Using your hands and a spatula, shape the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide - perfection is impossible, so just get close. The log will be bumpy and rough, and that's fine. Form a second log on the other side of the sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the sheet after 15 minutes. The logs will have spread; they'll give when squeezed and won't be fully baked at this point. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack, and allow the logs to rest for 20 minutes. Carefully move one log to a cutting board. (If the parchment on the baking sheet is sticky, turn it over or replace it.) Using a serrated knife, trim the ends and then cut the log horizontally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet - you don't have to leave much room between them; repeat with the second log.
• Bake the cookies for another 15 minutes - they'll be firmer, but not completely dry; they firm and dry as they cool. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack, and allow the cookies to come to room temperature. Kept covered and away from humidity, the cookies will hold for at least 1 week.

CORNMEAL BISCOTTI WITH DATES AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until well combined; beat in orange extract and zest. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed until just combined. Beat in dates, almonds, and anise.
• Transfer to prepared baking sheet; using your hands, pat into a slightly flattened log, about 15 by 4 inches. Bake until firm and lightly browned, and top is slightly cracked, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes.
• Transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut log crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until slices are just turning brown around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

CORNMEAL COCONUT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Whisk together the flours, cornmeal, coconut flakes, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a whisk or electric beater, beat together the coconut oil and sugar at medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat together for another minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater. Turn off the mixer and add the flour mixture. Mix in at low speed until combined. The batter will be moist and sticky.
• Using a spatula or a bowl scraper, scrape out half the batter onto the baking sheet. Moisten your hands so the dough won't stick, and form a log, about 10 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide. Repeat with the other half of the batter. The logs can be on the same baking sheet but make sure there is at least 2 inches of space between them.
• Place in the oven and bake 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned, beginning to crack on the top, and dry. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 20 minutes (or longer). Place on a cutting board and cut 1/2 inch slices straight across the logs.
• Place the cookies on baking sheets and return, one sheet at a time, to the middle rack of the oven. Bake 15 minutes and flip the biscotti over. Bake another 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.