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By Root 878 0

the margarine slightly with an electric mixer at medium speed, then add both sugars, and beat until light, fluffy, and pale yellow, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then remove the beaters. Pour in the prepared flour mixture all at once and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until there are no white streaks in the batter, although the batter may still have a slightly sandy look from the undissolved flour. Stir in the chocolate chip mixture just until well combined. The dough is quite stiff; you may need to work the chip mixture in by hand—just make sure you’ve washed your hands thoroughly.

3. Roll the dough into walnut-size balls, then place these on the prepared baking sheets about 11/2 inches apart. Press the balls lightly with your fingers to flatten them slightly. Bake for 7 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets top to bottom, turning each front to back. Continue baking for about 8 more minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned at the edges, with firm tops, but have some give if you touch them. Cool them on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and continue cooling. Let the baking sheets cool for 5 minutes before reusing them; spray them again with nonstick spray before baking additional batches.

Recommended storage

4 months at room temperature

3 months in the freezer

Customize It!

For a nutty dairy-free cookie, reduce the chocolate chips to 2 cups and add 1 cup of any of the following: chopped hazelnuts, chopped pecans, chopped roasted unsalted cashews, chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or sesame seeds.

ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCOTTI

For these biscotti, use only mini chocolate chips, or chop chocolate chips into bits that are no larger than one-third their original size. The technique here is a little different than some of the others in this book: you beat the sugar and eggs, then add melted butter for a slightly cakier consistency—in other words, these are biscotti that won’t dry out so much, thereby compromising that espresso taste, turning the cookies bitter. Once you coat the logs in the egg-white wash, bake them immediately—if you wait, the wash will harden and the logs will crack too much at the sides when cut into cookies.

MAKES ABOUT 5 DOZEN SMALL BISCOTTI

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

1 large egg white, beaten in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon water until frothy

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Place the vanilla in a small bowl or teacup; add the instant espresso powder and stir until fully dissolved. Set both mixtures aside.

3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the sugar, eggs, and egg yolk until light and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Beat in the melted butter, then the vanilla-espresso mixture, just until smooth. Turn off the mixer, add the prepared flour mixture, and beat at low speed until a crumbly dough forms. Remove the beaters and pour in the chocolate chips; stir once or twice, just to distribute.

4. Lightly dust a clean, dry work surface with flour, then turn the dough out onto it. Knead for about 30 seconds until the dough holds together. It’s quite full of chocolate chips, so keep reincorporating any chips that fall out. Divide the dough in half, then shape into two logs about 10 inches long. Flatten each to a cylinder about 1 inch high at its apex. Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet, placing them about 4 inches apart.

5. Brush each log with the egg-white wash, then