Vegan Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Recipe Blog Post
Ingredients
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
5 tablespoons water (more if needed)
2 tablespoons O&V Blood Orange oil or Unflavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil *
1 teaspoon Melipone Vanilla *
½ cup chopped or slivered almonds
Dusting of confectioner’s sugar (optional)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Toast the almonds in the preheated oven for 4-6 minutes or until fragrant and lightly golden (keep a close eye as they will burn easily if left too long)
In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, sugar and zest until combined. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the wet ingredients – water, oil, and vanilla.
Stir in a circular motion from the center slowly incorporating the liquid into the dry ingredients. The dough will be pretty sticky. Add a little extra water if you need it to allow all the flour to be incorporated.
Add the almonds and mix to ensure they are distributed evenly. Bring the dough together with your hands.
Using damp hands, divide the dough into two logs about 3 inches wide and flatten slightly at the top. Arrange on the baking sheet at least a few inches apart. (Try to keep the two logs uniform in size and shape so they cook evenly in the oven)
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the surface is firm. Remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 300F
Let the logs cool slightly on the tray for 10-15 minutes. Then, using a serrated knife, slice gently into ½ inch slices. Place the slices back on a baking tray cut side down and return to the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes on each side (total of 20 minutes). Remove and cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Sprinkle with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar.
Delicious for dunking in coffee on Christmas morning!
Makes 16
Active Time: 10 minutes. Total Time: 60 minutes
Notes
* I use a Blood Orange oil to add another layer of orange flavor to these biscotti. You can also substitute with a light Unflavored oil. Feel free to substitute other high-quality oils if you wish, but I strongly urge you to use the Melipone vanilla – it is absolutely fantastic and adds a really rich, authentic vanilla flavor to the biscotti.
Categories: Dessert, Vegetarian, Vegan, Holiday Cookies, Vegan Cookies, Chocolate Biscotti, Almonds, Melipone Vanilla, Blood Orange Oil
