Chocolate Espresso Dried Cherry Biscotti.

I love biscotti. You bake a batch and they can stay around the kitchen for a week or two (since they generally produce a large amount of cookies) and you don't have to worry about them not tasting as fresh as the first day, because if anything, biscotti just get better over time.

I make a different batch of biscotti about once a week and last week I was craving chocolate badly. I didn't want to just do plain chocolate biscotti so I added in a bit of espresso, dried cherries and toasted walnuts. The additions made these biscotti a bit harder to slice after the first baking, but in my opinion it was worth it! The flavor combination is lovely and pretty perfect when dipped into a steaming mug of black coffee in the morning (or even a cold glass of milk before bed). Perfect for the crisp, cold fall and winter mornings ahead!

Chocolate Espresso Dried Cherry Biscotti
Adapted from Good Housekeeping
3 large egg whites
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons strong coffee or espresso (I dissolved a tablespoon of instant espresso in 2 tablespoons of hot water)
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the egg whites, oil, and coffee or espresso in a small bowl.  Combine all the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a larger bowl, whisking to make sure everything is combined.  Add the egg white mixture to the dry ingredients and stir in the nuts and cherries.

Divide the dough into two equal portions and form two logs on the baking sheet, each about 12 inches by 1 inch.  Flatten the dough a bit and place in the oven until the logs are firm, 25 to 30 minutes.  Let them cool AT LEAST 30 minutes, preferably almost completely before slicing. If you try slicing them before then, they will crumble horribly.  After they've cooled, cut each log into 1/2 inch slices and arrange the cookies on the baking sheet.  Bake in the oven again until they've crisped up, about 15-20 minutes longer.

Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.