Crazy Ingredient Challenge: Cashews and Coffee= Yummy Biscotti

Our Crazy Ingredient Challenge this month asked us to pair together Coffee and Cashews.  Now these are two flavors that I absolutely love so I was not intimidated at all.  I knew right away that I was going to make a coffee flavored creme brulee and incorporate cashews into the dish.

This is one of my favorite little clubs.  It is kind of like Chopped except that your basket contains just 2 ingredients that must be incorporated into the dish and those 2 ingredients are chosen through a vote of the members.  It is a lot of fun and you can join us by emailing Dawn at spatulasonparade@gmail. com.  I wasn't able to participate last month.   Time just got away from me and I was starting to worry about this month as we have 2 vacations planned and I wasn't sure where I was going to find the time to make and serve my creme brulee that I was set on preparing.

Then, as providence would have it, Frank planned a CPL class.  I like to serve a snack with coffee in the mornings when students arrive and then lunch with dessert between the book work and the outside portion of the class.  I decided that for this class I was going to serve biscotti with the coffee in the morning.  While looking for a biscotti recipe I found one at the Food Network Kitchen for Coffee Cashew Biscotti.  SCORE....I love when I can kill two birds with one stone!!

I had never made Biscotti before and it was much easier than I anticipated.

I was very pleased with how they turned out.

They looked good and they tasted even better!

Coffee Cashew Biscotti

very slightly adapted from Food Network

1 3/4 c. flour

2/3 c. plus 4 t. sugar

2 T. plus 1 t. instant espresso powder

1/2 t. baking powder

pinch kosher salt

4 T. butter, softened

2 eggs

1 T. water

1 t. vanilla

1 c. roasted, salted cashews

flour for dusting

1 egg white, slightly beaten

2 large pinches of sugar

Place flour, sugar, espresso, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Add butter and pulse until mixture is sandy.  Transfer to a large bowl.

Whisk together eggs, water and vanilla in a small bowl.  Stir into flour mixture until a dough forms.  Press together and turn onto a flour dusted counter. Sprinkle with a small amount of flour and knead into a moist uniform dough.  Knead in cashews.  Divide dough in half and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Shape both halves into logs 11" x 2", keeping 3" between the logs. Brush with the egg white and sprinkle tops and sides with sugar.

Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool on sheet for 5 minutes.  Transfer logs to a cutting board and cut into slices 1/2" thick using a sharp serrated knife. Return slices to the baking sheet cut side down and return to oven for 12 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip cookies over and bake for another 12 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.  Print Recipe

Let's see what the others found to make featuring Coffee and Cashews!

An InLinkz Link-up

This post contains affiliate links.  Should you buy a product using this link, your price remains the same but I receive a small stipend to help offset the costs of this blog.