Kelly's Heath Bar Biscotti

This month brings back a flood of memories about Kelly; it's not just her birthday month, but the month she started a 12-week course of chemo in 2009.  I was thinking about the day before she was starting this ordeal and remembered we had driven to the drug store to pick up the meds that would hopefully make it a little easier.  I went in to get them and on the way out, added two Heath bars for us to have.  Health bars were Kelly's favorite candy and when I got back to the car and handed her one, she smiled and said, "here's to kicking cancer's butt!"  We both enjoyed the rich toffee covered chocolate and had so much hope that phrase would be true.

Well...I was thinking about that and asked my hubby to pick up some Heath bars this morning on his coffee run so I could create something that would honor Kelly.  He brought me home 13--a baker's dozen, but the recipe I created only needed 4 to make the biscotti I had decided on.

A deep chocolate dough, because Mom always said, "you can handle anything with chocolate," and the crunch of those chocolate-covered toffee chunks makes this a very decadent cookie that will hold up to dunking.

Kelly's Heath Bar Biscotti
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 T espresso powder
2 T very hot water
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars (about 4)
3/4 cup mini Chocolate Chips

1 egg
2 T cold water
Sparkling Sugar

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Stir the espresso powder into the hot water.

In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.  Add the espresso and the vanilla and beat once again.  Add the eggs, one at a time.
Add the dry ingredients and beat on low just until combined--DON'T OVER MIX!
Stir in the Heath bar pieces and mini chocolate chips.  Spoon mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and pat into a 18" x 3" mound.

Mix the egg wash and brush onto the top of the dough, then, sprinkle with the sparkling sugar. 

Bake in the preheated over for 25 to 30 minutes (mine took 30).  The dough top should show cracks and be set.

Remove dough, including the parchment paper, to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to slice 3/4-inch wide cookies (about 18-20).  Place the cookies back onto the baking sheet and return to the oven for 8-10 minutes more.

If you're feeling like there's not enough chocolate in these (teehee), you can mix 1 cup of chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon each of butter and shortening in a double boiler.  Melt the chips and dip the end of the cookie into it, then, sprinkle additional chopped Heath Bar pieces over it.  

I didn't do that this morning because we were meeting the builder at our lot to decide what trees will be removed.  A warm, almost sunny day of 75-degrees and I can almost imagine the home on this lot.

I will definitely be posting the progress as the building begins.  Enjoy!