Mint Chocolate Rusks
Submitted by psamoska
Double-baked chocolate rusks (biscotti-style) with mini chocolate chips, cocoa, and melted unsweetened chocolate. Crispy, intensely chocolatey Italian-style cookies.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
15 minCOOK
35 minREADY
50 minThese are biscotti by another name. A chocolate-loaded batter gets baked in loaf pans, sliced on the diagonal, then baked again until dry and crispy. Triple chocolate intensity comes from cocoa powder in the batter, melted unsweetened chocolate stirred in, and a full cup of mini chocolate chips folded through.
The two-bake method is what gives rusks their signature crunch. The first bake sets the loaf. Slicing it warm and baking the individual pieces a second time drives out moisture, creating a cookie that snaps when you bite it rather than bending. Seven to nine minutes per side on the second bake is the window. Under-baked and they’ll be chewy; over-baked and they’ll be tooth-crackingly hard.
Tossing the chocolate chips in a bit of the sifted flour mixture before folding them in is a baker’s trick that keeps them suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom. This means chips in every slice rather than all pooled at the base.
The optional chocolate glaze dipped on the ends turns these into a gift-worthy cookie. Let the glaze set on parchment before stacking.
Chef Tips
- Cream the butter for a full five minutes. This isn’t a shortcut step. Long creaming incorporates air and creates a lighter crumb.
- Cool the loaves only 10-15 minutes before slicing. Too warm and they crumble. Too cool and they crack. Use a sharp serrated knife with a gentle sawing motion.
- Don’t skip the second bake turn. Flipping the slices halfway ensures even drying and color on both sides.
- Store in an airtight container. Rusks keep for weeks because the low moisture content prevents staleness.
Variations
- Mint chocolate rusks: Add a teaspoon of peppermint extract alongside the vanilla for a mint-chocolate combination.
- Espresso chocolate: Dissolve a tablespoon of instant espresso into the melted chocolate for a mocha flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Remove the dividers from two 11 x 4 x 1½-inch metal ice cube trays; butter and flour the trays.
Sift the flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and slat.
Toss the chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons of the sifted mixture.
Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer on low speed for 5 minutes.
Add the sugar and continue beating for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Blend in the milk, vanilla extract and melted chocolate.
Blend in the sifted mixture on low speed. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly between them.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool each cake in the pan on a rack for 3 to 4 minutes, invert onto another rack and turn each right side up. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Cut each cake on the diagonal into about twelve ¾ inch thick slices, using a sharp serrated knife.
Arrange the slices on two jelly roll pans or cookie sheets.
Bake the slices for 7 to 9 minutes, turn them over and continue baking for 7 to 9 minutes longer, or until firm.
Remove the rusks to a cooling rack using a wide metal spatula.
If you are finishing the cookies with granulated sugar, sprinkle some over each while they are warm.
Cool completely. If you are using the chocolate glaze, dust off any crumbs adhering to the cookies with a soft pastry brush.
Dip an end of a rusk in the glaze and hold it until it stops dripping, gently rocking the cookie from side to side.
When the chocolate is on the point of setting, carefully place each rusk on a legth of parchment paper until the glaze firms up, about 20 minutes.
To embellish the cookies further, you can dip the tip end of the glazed rusk in chocolate sprinkles; do this just before you place in on the parchment paper.
Peel away the glazed cookies from the parchment paper.
Store in an airtight container.
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