Real Mexican Hot Chocolate

My C'n' Z friend  Rainey writes a delightful blog Making Myself a Garden  which naturally is all about her garden.  Occasionally she  even posts her baking efforts - check out her Plum Kuchen.

Last week I received a  package bulging with  goodies you just can't get in New Zealand....cacao nibs, Ibarra  Mexican chocolate, dried chillies, real tortillas....thank you Rainey.

Clotilde has written about cacao nibs  on Chocolate and Zucchini when  she topped her  raspberry muffins with these lovely little nibs of the cacao bean. 

I decided on adding  the cacao nibs to biscotti.  Biscotti is traditionally  flavoured with anise but I thought  the cacao nibs might be a suitable alternative.

Biscotti is the plural of biscotto and means baked twice.  The dough is made and cooked in a roll, then sliced into cookies  and baked a second time. This dries the biscuit out.  Because it is so dry  it will keep for what seems forever.   They are the ideal dunking biscuit. Today we had them with  authentic Mexican hot chocolate, but they are also nice dipped into a glass of sweet wine.

BISCOTTI
150 grams plain flour
150 grams caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
100 grams cacao nibs

Preheat oven to 180C
Combine dry ingredients, then add eggs
Line tray with baking powder
Form mixture into two logs
Bake 25 minutes
Remove from oven and cool a little
Slice diagonally into 1 cm slices
Stand upright on tray and bake a further 10 minutes.