Milk Chocolate Walnut Mini Mandelbread
You guys. These mini milk chocolate walnut mandelbread are so cute I can’t.
No. You don’t get it. They’re tiny. They’re perfect. They’re two-bite-sized and crispy and crunchy and tender and light and the best little thing to put in a pretty serving bowl to serve with tea for your next fancy luncheon that you’re never gonna have.
Even Queen Elizabeth II would approve, is my point.
Btw. In case you’re uninformed about the virtues of mandelbread in general. Mandelbread (I’m using the same form for singular and plural, I think I’m supposed to) are the thicker, softer, quicker, and more tender (in texture, I don’t speak for matters of the heart) sister of the biscotti (I’m not using the singular “biscotto” form here either, even though I’m supposed to).
Mandelbread, like biscotti, get shaped into a log and then baked and then sliced and then re-baked.
However. Mandelbread, unlike biscotti, consist of a dough that’s more tender and light and melt-in-your-mouth than crunchy and crispy and dry. And. They also take much quicker to bake. You only gotta do one quick slicing and re-baking. Way easier, I tell you.
Now. I think mini mandelbread are brilliant. Because the tiny size makes them truly the most ideal cookie to serve alongside dessert or for teatime.
I mean. Yes. A bowl of normal sized mandelbread would also be great and all. But, when you have these pinky sized biscuits that you can grab and munch on in seconds, it just makes them so much better. AGREE??
And it’s very simple, the method to make these milk chocolate walnut mandelbread in miniature size is. You jut shape the log in an extra skinny and long form. The skinnier the log, the smaller and cuter the mandelbread will be.
These mini mandelbread are light and tender and delicate. They’re slightly sweetened. They’re crispy and crunchy and also melt-in-your-mouth. They’re packed with chunks of rich, creamy milk chocolate and bits of crunchy, nutty walnuts.
The milk chocolate walnut biscotti require one bowl and minutes to whip up and you should never have a tea party without them again.
A crispy, golden exterior. A tender, flavorful, chocolatey, nutty interior. Grab a handful, shove it into your mouth. Or. Pick one up delicately. Savor it slowly. You’ve got options.
Milk chocolate walnut mini mandelbread — you’re coming with me. Everywhere.
Milk Chocolate Walnut Mini Mandelbread
Yield: about 40 mini mandelbread
1/2 cup oil (canola, vegetable)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 2/3 cups packed flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Generous 1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate
Generous 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, and extracts until mixture is smooth.
3. Pour the flour and salt over the wet ingredients and stir everything together until just combined. Stir in chopped chocolate and walnuts last. The dough will be loose and slightly wet.
4. Drop the dough into 2 portions spaced out on the prepared baking sheet. Wet your hands and shape each portion into a long, skinny log that’s about 18”x2.”
5. Bake logs for 12-14 minutes, until the tops are dry and no longer glossy. Slice logs into mandelbread of desired thickness. Place the mandelbread cut side up onto the sheet. Return sheet to the oven and bake until the bottoms and edges are just golden brown, 5-7 minutes.
