Orange Spice Biscotti: it's Teatime!

This is the BEST BISCOTTI for tea I have ever tasted. There is no butter - so it's a true 'hard' biscotti that needs to be dunked. However - when it hits the tea - it soaks up enough liquid to turn it into a wonderfully soft and now tea-soaked treat.

I followed a recipe and played with all of the additions - my usual when making biscotti. I have some friends coming over on Saturday morning for a knitting session - and these could be baked up a few days early (I love early prep stuff!)

My recipe is based on the Spiced Biscotti found in the New Best Recipe.

Scate's Orange Spiced Biscotti with chocolate
preheat oven to 350
11 1/4 oz (2 1/4 cups)unbleached all purp flour
1 tsp bkg pwd
1/2 tsp bkg soda
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
*** whisk above dry ingredients together in bowl
7 oz (1 cup) sugar
2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
*** whisk sugar and eggs until it lightens in color to pale yellow (2 minutes by hand)
1/2 tsp vanilla to egg mixture
** add vanilla to egg mixture
** gently stir dry into wet mixture
** Add 1 cup of extra bittersweet chocolate pieces

Form into logs (13"x 2") on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown and just starting to crack. Rotate pan halfway through baking.

Pull from oven and remove logs from baking sheet to cool for 10 minutes. Cool oven to 325. Cut logs into biscotti pieces. Place upright on cookie sheet with some space between each cookie. Return to oven for 15 minutes.

Cool cookies completely. Can store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.