Author Notes: Made the way the Italians do — no butter or oil. Crunchy, chocolately, perfect. —Posie (Harwood) Brien
Makes: 1 batch
Ingredients
-
5
eggs
-
1 1/4
cups sugar
-
2
teaspoons vanilla
-
1/2
cup cocoa powder
-
2 1/2
cups flour
-
1 1/2
teaspoons baking soda
-
1
teaspoon salt
-
2
teaspoons baking powder
-
1-2
cups toasted chopped nuts (pecans are best)
Directions
- Warm eggs (in hot water, uncracked) until lukewarm.
- Then mix the eggs with the sugar in a stand mixer on high speed until at least doubled in volume (about 5 minutes). It should form very thick ribbons when the beater is lifted. Gently fold in vanilla.
- Sift combined flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder over batter and fold in. Fold in nuts.
- Form into two “loaves” on a cookie sheet, about 3-4 inches wide and 1 inch tall. (Helps to use wet hands.)
- Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (until loaves just spring back). Let cool a bit (or all the way).
- Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and put the slices on their side on 2 cookie sheets, and put sheets into a turned-off 350 oven until they are dry and crisp. (You can leave them in as long as you want since oven is off.)