Can’t go wrong when the title has the word butter printed twice, am I right? Because of the peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches I’d made only days before, I found myself with a plethora of leftover honey roasted peanuts and mini chips – a fantastic snacking combo and one that my holiday-puffed self could do without. The charge of bringing a snacky-type dessert to Christmas day led to the creation of these browned butter biscotti and it was one of the BEST discoveries of the holiday!
Best and worst, I should say, as I believe I ate 7 after our Christmas dinner. I had to give the remainders to my mailman just to get them out of the house. They’re crunchier than certain recipes I’ve made and the sweetness was perfectly balanced with the salty peanuts. Dunked in hot chocolate they’re “the best thing I’ve ever had”, or so said my brother-in-law at Christmas.
Maybe you’re doing a New Year’s Cleanse and if that’s the case, FINE, but save this one for later as it’s can’t miss. If you ARE trying to eat healthier these come out to about 100 calories each – not bad for something this tasty! The browned butter flavor really kicks things up a notch, not to mention makes the dough a dream to work with. Typically biscotti dough is sticky and can be annoying to shape – not the case here as the dough almost has a greasy quality due to the melted butter. Yay for butter.
Browned Butter Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti
Makes 4 dozen
10 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. Â vanilla extract
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
1 cup honey roasted peanuts, chopped
1 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. To brown butter, place in skillet or small saucepan. Heat until bubbly and melted and then turn heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter turns brown and has a nutty aroma. If the butter turns black and smells bad, start over. Remove from heat and pour into a separate bowl to cool.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
4. Beat eggs with electric mixer until frothy, about 1 minute. Add sugar slowly while beating and once added, continue to beat until pale in color and bubbly in texture – about 5 minutes.
5. Add vanilla, cooled browned butter, and peanut butter and beat on low until blended.
6. Add dry ingredients in three parts, mixing on low speed until blended. Stir in chips and nuts.
7. Shape dough into long thin logs on the two baking sheets – about 1 inch high by 2 inches wide (doesn’t matter how long – just stop them several inches from the edge of the pan). Make sure to keep logs at least 5 inches apart on sheets.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are golden and the center is set. Remove and let cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes on baking sheets.
9. Transfer to cutting board and slice (a serrated bread knife works great) cross-wise diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces. Return to pan, each biscotti set on it’s side, and bake for 8 minutes. Flip over and bake for another 8 minutes. Let cool completely and store at room temperature in a tightly covered container. Cookies will last up to 1 week.
