Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1–2 teaspoons Chefmaster red gel food coloring
1 tablespoon LorAnn peppermint extract
14 Ghiradelli peppermint square chopped
1 cip. white chocolate chips for garnish
For garnish, crushed peppermint or decorative sprinkles.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl and mixing well after each addition. Beat in the peppermint extract and red food coloring (start with one teaspoon and adjust to desire color depth). Add the dry ingredients and chopped peppermint bark and stir on low speed until just combined.
Dust a work surface with flour. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sticky dough out onto the work surface and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Using your hands, shape the dough into a rough ball (if it’s still too sticky, dust with a bit more flour) and cut in half. Form the dough pieces into two short logs by rolling back and forth. Place the logs onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into longer logs about 3/4-inch high and 2 inches wide. Allow enough space for the logs to spread a few inches while they bake. Bake for about 30 minutes, until firm to the touch. Turn the oven down to 300* Let the biscotti logs cool on the pan for about 30 minutes, or until just cool enough to touch. Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into 3/4-inch slices, place back on the sheet pan and place back in the oven for 10 minutes to dry and crisp up, flip over and give another 5 – 7 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Melt 1 cup of white chocolate in microwave. Start with 30 seconds and stir. Continue to melt at 15 second intervals until melted. (white chocolate will burn quickly so be careful.) Pour melted chocolate into a quart zip lock baggie and snip one corner with scissors. Drizzle the chocolate over each biscotti. Immediately sprinkle crushed peppermint candies or decorative sprinkles while the chocolate is still warm. Let cool so the chocolate will harden. You can place in the refrigerator to set the chocolate quicker. Biscotti will last 2 weeks stored in an airtight container.