THE COFFEE COMPANION: DARK CHOCOLATE, ALMOND + ROSEMARY BISCOTTI

denuestramesafarms
Jul 22
5 min read

Some mornings, before the neighborhood fully wakes up, I slip out to the garden with my coffee still warm in my hand and snip a few sprigs of rosemary. It is one of those simple little suburban rituals that makes the kitchen feel connected to the backyard, the season, and whatever happens to be blooming near the fence. Rosemary usually shows up in Sunday roasts or crusty bread, but tucked into a sweet, sturdy biscotti, it brings the coziest little surprise. Even in the Cali summer heat, it offers a little Christmas in July to the table!

Dark chocolate and toasted almonds keep things rich and familiar, the kind of flavors that beg for a second cup of coffee. Then that fresh rosemary steps in with a soft, woodsy note, and a pinch of flaky sea salt makes the whole batch feel just a little special. These are made for slow mornings, porch chats, packed lunch treats, or that quiet moment when everyone else is busy and the coffee is finally yours.

The Perfect Pour

For this recipe, we’re pouring Dharma Espresso Blend from Sacramento’s own Temple Coffee Roasters. The blend brings notes of dried cherry, warm baking spices, and rich cocoa. The cocoa base grounds the dark chocolate in the biscotti, while those subtle spice and berry undertones dance beautifully alongside the aromatic fresh rosemary and sea salt.

The Kitchen Math: Perfecting Mix-in Ratios

When scaling a recipe for a bustling cottage bakery or just doubling a batch for the weekend, adjusting your inclusions (like nuts and chocolate) requires a bit of structural math.

Biscotti dough is notoriously dense. If you overload it, the dough won't bind, and the logs will crumble when you attempt the second slice-and-bake phase.

The Golden Ratio: For a standard biscotti dough, your total mix-ins (almonds and chocolate chips combined) should generally sit at about 40% to 50% of your total flour weight.

The Fresh Herb Factor: Fresh rosemary holds significantly more water than dried herbs. When working with fresh herbs in a crisp bake like biscotti, keep the ratio low—about 1% to 2% of your flour weight, finely minced—so the aromatic oils infuse the dough without introducing excess moisture that could compromise the crunch.

Ingredients

Yield: 18–20 standard biscotti (or 12 large diagonal-cut biscotti)

· 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (approx. 210g)

· 3/4 cup granulated sugar

· 1 teaspoon baking powder

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

· 2 large eggs

· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

· 1/3 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped

· 1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips

· 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, very finely minced

· Flaky sea salt (for finishing)

Directions

1. Prep the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix the Dry: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

3. Mix the Wet: In a separate large bowl, mix the softened butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until completely smooth.

4. Combine & Fold: Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a thick dough begins to form. Just before the flour is fully incorporated, fold in the minced rosemary, chopped almonds, and dark chocolate chunks until evenly distributed.

5. Shape the Dough: Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet. Shape it into a log that is about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. Lightly sprinkle the top of the log with flaky sea salt, pressing gently so it adheres.

6. The First Bake: Bake for 25 minutes until the top is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool directly on the pan for exactly 10 minutes.

7. Slice: Transfer the log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice the log crosswise into 1/2-inch thick pieces.

8. The Second Bake: Place the slices cut-side down back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 more minutes to crisp the bottoms. Flip each piece over and bake for a final 5 minutes until completely crisp and toasted.

Baker's Extra: The Chocolate Dip

If you want to give your biscotti a true bakery-case finish, dipping them in chocolate adds an extra layer of decadence.

Once your biscotti have completely cooled from their second bake, melt about 1/2 cup of high-quality dark or semi-sweet chocolate. You can do this using a double boiler on the stove, or in the microwave using short, 15-second bursts (stirring well between each one so the chocolate doesn't scorch).

Carefully dip one end of each biscotti into the chocolate, or hold the biscotti by the edges and dip just the flat bottom. Lay them onto a clean sheet of parchment paper, and immediately sprinkle the wet chocolate with a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt before it sets. Let them rest at room temperature until the chocolate is completely firm, and they are ready for the coffee mug.

Featured Roaster Spotlight: Temple Coffee Roasters

When launching this series, starting with Temple Coffee Roasters felt like the only right choice. They are a foundational pillar of our local Sacramento coffee scene, having built a reputation not just on roasting exceptional beans, but on a farm-to-cup ethos that respects the agricultural roots of the ingredients. That is a philosophy that resonates deeply in this kitchen.

For this inaugural pairing, we are pulling their signature Dharma Espresso Blend.

The Tasting Notes In the cup, Dharma is characterized by three distinct notes: dried cherry, warm baking spices, and a rich cocoa finish.

The Cocoa: Grounds the entire profile and acts as a bridge to the dark chocolate in our biscotti.

The Baking Spices: Wrap beautifully around the roasted almonds in the dough.

The Dried Cherry: Provides a subtle, tart brightness that dances perfectly alongside the woodsy, savory hit of the fresh garden rosemary.

The Brew: Coffee Math

If you enjoy the baker's percentages we use for the dough, you will appreciate that brewing great espresso is just kitchen math in a different format. When dialing in the perfect pour of Dharma to get those tasting notes to sing, we look to the standard parameters Temple designed for this blend:

The Ratio: 1:2 (For every gram of ground coffee, you want two grams of liquid espresso yielded).

The Dose: 18 grams of finely ground Dharma espresso.

The Yield: 36 grams of brewed liquid.

The Time: 25 to 28 seconds of extraction time.

The Water Temperature: 201°F.

If you don't have an espresso machine at home, do not worry. Dharma also shines in a French press or an Aeropress, where the immersion brewing allows that heavy cocoa body to fully develop. Just aim for a slightly stronger brew ratio than your standard morning drip to ensure it stands up to the crunch of the biscotti!