Christmas DIY: Chocolate and Hazelnut Biscotti

For my last DIY gift idea this year, I thought I'd share an (edible) recipe that I seem to end up making every year. I've tried a few recipes over the years but the best I've come across is slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen, an awesome food blog which now has its own book! Biscotti are perfect as presents as most recipes are dairy free, almost fat free and pretty low in sugar as far as baked goods go. They will also keep for 2 weeks or more so are ideal for making ahead. If cocoa and hazelnuts aren't your thing, there are hundreds of variations on the net. But traditional biscotti do not contain butter or oil...so watch out for the impostors!

(Makes 40-60 biscotti depending how thick and at what angle you slice it!)

1 cup whole hazelnuts

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

1 tablespoon espresso powder 

Pinch of salt 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

3/4 teaspoon baking powder 

4 large eggs 

1 1/3 cups sugar

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Toast hazelnuts on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the hazelnuts from the oven, wrap in a cotton tea towel and run until most of the skins come away. Set aside. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, cocoa, espresso powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder) and set aside. Beat the eggs together. Remove two tablespoons of egg mixture into small dish and set aside. Beat sugar into remaining eggs until well combined. Stir in flour mixture to form soft dough. Divide the dough in half and place one portion on a well-floured work surface and pat it into a six-inch square. Scatter half the hazelnuts on the dough and press them into the surface. Roll the dough into a cylinder about 2 inches in diameter and 12 to 15 inches long. Line the baking sheet with baking paper and place the roll of dough on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Brush the tops of both rolls with the reserved egg. Place in the oven and bake about 20 minutes, until firm to the touch. Transfer to a cutting board and cut on an angle into slices one-half-inch thick. Return the slices to the baking sheet, laying them on their cut sides, and return them to the oven. Bake another 20 minutes, until they are crisp and dry. Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.