Chocolate Chip-Walnut Mandelbrot
Do these cookies look like biscotti? Exactly right; Mandelbrot are the Eastern European version of that Italian favorite. Classic mandelbrot features almonds (mandel = almonds; brot = bread). But this Americanized version includes one of our favorite ingredients, chocolate chips., We complement the chips with walnuts; feel free to substitute pecans or almonds (of course) for the walnuts. Read our blog about these cookies, with additional photos, at Bakers' Banter.
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (7 ounces) vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
- coarse white sparkling sugar, optional
Directions
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4) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. |
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13) Remove from the oven, and cool the mandelbrot right on the baking sheets. |
Recipe summary
- Hands-on time:
- 16 mins. to 20 mins.
- Baking time:
- 1 hrs 3 mins. to 1 hrs 8 mins.
- Total time:
- 4 hrs 19 mins. to 15 hrs 28 mins.
- Yield:
- 56 cookies
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- Recipe comments (7) »
Tips from our bakers
- When slicing the baked dough, be sure to slice with your knife perpendicular to the cutting surface, so that you cut even slices. Uneven slices won't balance well on the baking sheets.
- While not traditional, the coarse white sugar lends a pretty sparkle and delightful crunch to these cookies.
- The most challenging part about these cookies is figuring out when they're done. If their second bake isn't long enough, they won't be crunchy. But if it's too long, they can be pretty hard. Best not to let them get brown all over; they should just brown nicely around the edges. And they'll become crunchier as they cool, too, so don't judge their crunchiness when they're fresh out of the oven.
- Feel free to add your own favorite "add-ins." Pistachios and dried cranberries are nice at Christmas; butterscotch chips and pecans are wonderful all year round!
Reviews
02/09/2010
They are delicious. I can't stop eating them.
12/16/2009
These were easy and delicious, great to take to a meeting it made a goodly batch and the cookies hold well. I didn't bother chilling the dough, forming logs directly on well-greased cookie sheets with the aid of a bench knife. As someone else suggested, the oil on the pan -- plus extra on my hands -- did a fine job of helping me shape the dough. I also skipped the nuts and instead added a 1/2c of stiff cranberry preserves, also replacing the vanilla with a bit of bourbon. The texture remained marvelous. Yum!
12/13/2009
This is a good, quick and easy recipe - as long as you can let the dough chill overnight! I substituted half www and used half the choc. chips and like the results. My trick for working with potentially sticky dough is to work on a lightly oiled surface- like a manufactured stone countertop- with hands still oily from preparing the baking sheets and counter. This is a keeper!
12/12/2009
I haven't tried this recipe, however I make my biscotti logs with a muffin (ice cream) scoop placing them close or touching each other. Dampen hands lightly and sork the dough into log. Also, after slicing the logs I place the slices on a rack (on edge). They bake faster and evener for me. EW
12/12/2009
I was delighted with this recipe. I substituted at least 1/2 of the flour for whole wheat and everything went very well. My only complaint at all was that the bottom of the Mandelbrot was a little too brown for my taste. However, it could perhaps just be my oven though baked on the center rack. It was quite easy and delicious.
12/11/2009
Could White Whole Wheat be substituted 100% in this recipe? Thanks!
You can use White Whole Wheat in this recipe, just reduce the amount by a quarter cup. Molly @ KAF
11/10/2008
The only disadvantage was that the dough was rock solid after refrigeration and as it softened was very sticky! However, they turned out exactly like the pictures, tasted good and were suitable for a leaving party catered with kosher-chinese (meat) food. Thanks, KAF

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