Mint Chocolate Chip Biscotti

I do my best thinking when I'm walking and I do my best walking - early in the morning.🚶🏻‍♀️ It's not that I just love lacing up my tennis shoes as soon as I roll out of bed, but I live in the South, so walking (and all other outdoor physical activity) is best completed early in the morning - so as to avoid any unnecessary heat stroke.🥵 

Morning walks aren't so bad though.👟 Early morning exercise really helps set the tone for the rest of my day.  And it's no coincidence that the number of steps that I take around the neighborhood in the morning is directly related to the number of things that I have to sort out in my head.🤯  

Heading out the door, first thing in the morning is the goal but that means that I don't often take time to drink a cup of coffee or even sit down to eat breakfast before my walk.  Most mornings I grab a granola bar to nibble on while I'm lacing up my sneakers, but on special occasions - I go to the freezer for some much needed pre-walk energy biscotti.  And by special occasions, I mean, Tuesday.  Walks are sweeter with biscotti. 😂
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Chocolate and Mint are a match made in heaven.  Don't even try and debate me on this issue.🤣  I also love biscotti so it only makes sense that I would make a Mint Chocolate Chip Biscotti.  The only thing that I wish that I would have done differently would be to add a drop of green food coloring to the mint dough to tint so that it looks more "mint-like."  

Mint Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Mint Dough
6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
⅔ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon mint extract
2 large eggs room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup andes mint chips

Chocolate Dough
6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 large eggs room temperature
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips 

For mint dough: Cream together butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and baking powder.

Beat in eggs, one at a time. 

Slowly add flour.  

Fold in mint chips.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate. 

For chocolate dough: Cream together butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla.

Beat in eggs, one at a time. 

Slowly add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and espresso powder.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Divide each dough into thirds.  Shape into disks.

Make 2 stacks of 6 disks, alternating flavors.

Shape each into a 14x2" log.   Place on a silpat lined baking sheet. 

Bake 25 minutes at 350.

Reduce oven to 325.  Slice into 1/2" slices.  Arrange on baking sheet. 

Bake 15 minutes.  Flip.  Bake another 15 minutes. 

Ciao!

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