Almond Citron Biscotti
We bumped into Elsa the other evening on a walk, and asked how she uses Candied Buddha's Hand. She makes biscotti! Larry turned to me and said, "Biscotti, please." I found a recipe for vegan orange almond biscotti by Minimalist Baker and with a few small adaptations (like adding orange juice as holycowvegan does). I tried using all whole wheat flour the first time (plus some corn meal) and it was very good, but the whole wheat was a little overpowering for the delicate flavors. I mentioned this to my friend Judi, and she suggested adding in almond flour, oat flour, and/or tapioca flour to lighten things up (she rarely uses white flour). The recipe below is updated to add in a mix of such flours, and it was fantastic! I'll keep using the mix below, but of course you may want to experiment with other flours (or white). Oh, and one time I didn't have orange, so I used lemon, and it was great!
Wet:
1/2 cup vegan butter (or canola oil)
3/4 cup sugar
2 flax eggs (2 T flax meal, 6 T warm water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest from 1 lemon OR orange
Juice from 1/2 lemon or orange
Dry:
3/4 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C almond flour (or more wheat or white)
1/2 C oat or tapioca flour (or more of above)
1/2 cup fine cornmeal (or other flour from above)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup toasted almonds (whole or sliced)
1/2 cup (or more) candied buddha's hands
3/4 cup vegan dark chocolate (optional)
Ingredients
Wet:
1/2 cup vegan butter (or canola oil)
3/4 cup sugar
2 flax eggs (2 T flax meal, 6 T warm water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest from 1 lemon OR orange
Juice from 1/2 lemon or orange
Dry:
3/4 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C almond flour (or more wheat or white)
1/2 C oat or tapioca flour (or more of above)
1/2 cup fine cornmeal (or other flour from above)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup toasted almonds (whole or sliced)
1/2 cup (or more) candied buddha's hands
3/4 cup vegan dark chocolate (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Mix flax eggs in a small bowl and set aside to gel for a few minutes.
If using raw almonds, toast them on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes on 350 degrees. Remove, cool, and (optionally) chop.
Melt vegan butter in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in remaining wet ingredients, including flax eggs.
In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Combine wet and dry and stir until combined, but try not to over-mix. Add almonds and candied buddha's hands, and stir once more to evenly disperse. At this point, can optionally chill the dough (or freeze it0 to use later.
Use a knife or spatula to divide the dough into two even sections. Using damp hands, form the two portions into long, semi-skinny logs (see photo). Try and make them as uniform in size and shape as possible so they bake evenly.
Bake the loaves for 25-30 minutes, or until just slightly brown on the edges. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then use a serrated knife to gently slice into 3/4-inch pieces. Be very gentle when slicing. Eat the end pieces because they are too small :)
Gently turn the biscotti on their sides and return to the oven to bake for another 20 minutes, gently flipping once at the halfway point (10 minutes), to ensure even baking.
If dipping in chocolate, add chopped chocolate to a mixing bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Once the biscotti are slightly cooled, dip one half of the biscotti into the chocolate, use a spoon to spread it slightly, then scrape off the excess. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to dry.
Store covered at room temperature for 3-4 days (I found a large jar is ideal).
If using raw almonds, toast them on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes on 350 degrees. Remove, cool, and (optionally) chop.
Melt vegan butter in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in remaining wet ingredients, including flax eggs.
In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Combine wet and dry and stir until combined, but try not to over-mix. Add almonds and candied buddha's hands, and stir once more to evenly disperse. At this point, can optionally chill the dough (or freeze it0 to use later.
Use a knife or spatula to divide the dough into two even sections. Using damp hands, form the two portions into long, semi-skinny logs (see photo). Try and make them as uniform in size and shape as possible so they bake evenly.
Bake the loaves for 25-30 minutes, or until just slightly brown on the edges. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then use a serrated knife to gently slice into 3/4-inch pieces. Be very gentle when slicing. Eat the end pieces because they are too small :)
Gently turn the biscotti on their sides and return to the oven to bake for another 20 minutes, gently flipping once at the halfway point (10 minutes), to ensure even baking.
If dipping in chocolate, add chopped chocolate to a mixing bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Once the biscotti are slightly cooled, dip one half of the biscotti into the chocolate, use a spoon to spread it slightly, then scrape off the excess. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to dry.
Store covered at room temperature for 3-4 days (I found a large jar is ideal).
And here's the next batch, which had a mix of flour and rose more than the first (whole wheat) batch. I also cooked the second batch on the silicon sheet, and it worked fine - no need to grease a cookie sheet!
Michael Ranney approves - and his wife Shelley loved them, which is the biggest honor or all!
My third batch: The dough had a bit more liquid so it flattened out, so I thought the biscotti would be super long and flat and not so good. Indeed, it was super long, but also delicious and still quite pretty. Thanks to Pati for helping make it! I guess you just can't ruin biscotti :)
