Chocolate Peppermint Biscotti

These cookies are one of the many chocolate biscotti variations I've made by adapting the Chocolate Almond Biscotti recipe from the Hershey's Homemade cookbook. This recipe is perfectly suited for variations: with or without chocolate chips; vanilla or white chocolate chunks, instead of chocolate chips; filberts or other nuts, instead of almonds, or no nuts at all; almond extract, orange liqueur, or other flavoring, such as peppermint extract; drizzled with melted white chocolate over the dark (melt in a ziploc bag and snipe the corner open), or completely naked. The possibilities are endless, and so far, all I've made are delicious.

Chocolate Peppermint Biscotti

Cream:

1/2 c. butter

1 1/4 c. sugar

Add:

2 eggs

1 t. peppermint extract

Beat until smooth.

Stir together in separate bowl:

2 1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. Hershey's European Dark Cocoa

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

Blend into butter mix, beating until smooth again.

Using wax paper, form two 2 x 11 inch logs (the dough can be refrigerated at this point, but it's not necessary). Remove wax paper, then place logs on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool for 10-15 minutes on cookie sheet. Using a serrated knife, cut 1/2 inch slices at a slight angle. Arrange cut side down on cookie sheet, and bake 8-9 minutes for each side. Meanwhile, crush 5-6 tiny candy canes in their wrapper with a rolling pin. Remove cookies from oven. Immediately and carefully place Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips, 5-6 per cookie (and about 1 c. for all), on each cookie and then return to oven for 1 minute to melt chips. Remove from oven and gently spread chocolate evenly with one or two strokes. Sprinkle on crushed candy cane bits. Cool completely.