Chocolate Almond Mandelbrot

For those who don’t know what Mandelbrot are, they are essentially a Jewish biscotti. There is not much different about them except I find Mandelbrot to be slightly softer. They can also be made for Passover with almond flour, potato starch and or matzo cake flour! Once you figure out a good base recipe, it is super easy to switch up the flavors. Almond and orange, almond and chocolate, almond, chocolate dipped- the possibilities are endless!

Note: This is somewhat of a project, and take about 24 hours to make. So try your best to be preemptive with when you want to eat them.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of white sugar

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1/2 cup of sliced almonds

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

• 1 tsp of almond extract

• 2 cup of AP flour

• 1 tbsp of almond flour

• 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp of baking powder

• 1/4 tsp of baking soda

• 1 tsp of kosher salt

• 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Optional: a few extra pinches of sliced almonds

• 1 additional egg, beaten for the egg wash, coarse sugar (turbinado) for sprinkling

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the sugar, butter and sliced almonds. Set on medium speed and let go for about 4 minutes, until super light and fluffy.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until completely combined. You might need to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed together.

Add the flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the mixing bowl. Let the mixer run for about a minute until the dough comes together. Fold in the chocolate chips and extra almonds.

Transfer the dough into a smaller bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours so that it firms up. (You can leave it in there longer if you want, it won’t hurt!!)

After the dough has been completely chilled through, preheat your oven to 350F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Sprinkle a clean work surface with some flour and roll out your dough to a perfect 1 foot (or so) cylinder. Flatten down the top and sides so it is a bit more of a semi-circle. Place the log on the baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, make sure you rotate the pan halfway through.

Pull the baked log out of the oven, let cool completely. Once it is completely cooled down, cover it with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator (again) for at least 3 hours. I would do this overnight, just to make it easy. You do the second refrigeration so that the loaf is super easy to slice.

When your dough has chilled (again) and you are ready for your second bake, preheat your oven to 300F. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper (I would recommend using a different one than the one that has been in the cold overnight).

Transfer your chilled loaf to a cutting board and using a bread knife, slice the baked dough crosswise so you have about 1/2 inch pieces. Lay the biscotti-like pieces on your new baking sheet on their sides. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until they are golden on the edges. Rotate the tray halfway through the cooking time and I would recommend flipping the cookies to their other side too!

Let cool and enjoy! (With coffee or tea!)