Warm Coffee Biscottata

The warm coffee biscottata is a delicious way to enjoy a sweet break. It is a simple but very comforting dessert that combines the warmth of coffee with the crunchiness of cookies. It isn’t a classic of traditional Italian pastry, but here’s how you could prepare it with an Italian touch:

Ingredients

• 2 cups of hot espresso coffee
• 4 dry cookies, like cantucci or biscotti from Prato
• Sugar to taste
• Cocoa powder for dusting
• Whipped cream (optional)

Preparation

1. Prepare the espresso coffee as you normally would and sweeten it with sugar to taste.
2. Arrange the dry cookies on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
3. Pour the hot coffee over the cookies until they are covered. Let them soften for a few minutes, making sure they do not become too soft and break.
4. If you wish, you can add a dusting of cocoa powder on top of the cookies for added flavor and visual effect.
5. Add a dollop of whipped cream on the side to add creaminess and contrast.

If you want to further enrich the recipe, you could also soak the cookies in a mix of coffee and amaretto liqueur before pouring the hot coffee over them. This adds an even richer flavor and a sort of homage to tiramisu, another famous dessert where coffee is used.

Curiosity

While the warm coffee biscottata as such is not a classic of Italian cuisine, the pairing of spoon desserts with coffee is common in Italy. An example is precisely the tiramisu, whose name means “pick me up” or “cheer me up”, referring to the “boost” given by the combination of coffee and simple sugars.