Cherry Almond Dipped Biscotti

Cherry Almond Dipped Biscotti

I, like the majority of this country, have spent the last few days extremely anxious about the election. I have been trying to keep myself as busy as possible today and decided to bake a copious amount of cookies to snack on as the results start to come in this evening.

This recipe is fairly simple, has ingredients that you most likely already have in your pantry, and can be easily modified depending on what flavors you like. If you’re not a fan of dried fruit you can absolutely omit the dried cherries or try subbing them for cranberries.

The key is to be a bit patient and keep a close eye on the cookies as you bake them. In the first bake, you want to be sure that you pull them out when the top is just barely turning brown. That way, they can be easily cut into slices without falling apart. You will also want to slice the biscotti almost immediately while the dough is still very warm. This ensures that they cut easily and do not crumble as you transfer them back to the baking tray.

As for the second round of baking, I have found that it is a very fine line between a perfectly crunchy biscotti and a burnt one so be sure to watch them and pull them out when they turn a nice golden brown.

These pair perfectly with coffee for a morning treat or with tea or milk for dessert.

Ingredients: (Prep Time: 20 min. Bake time: 40 – 45 min. Makes around 30 biscotti:

  • 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten-free flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup dried cherries, diced
  • 1 cup roughly chopped roasted almonds (I buy raw, whole, almonds and roast them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes)
  • 1 cup of dark chocolate chips

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking trays with oiled parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
  3. In a smaller bowl mix together eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and almond extract until smooth
  4. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture until well incorporated. The batter will be a thinner than a standard cookie dough.
  5. Fold in roasted almonds and dried cherries.
  6. Divide the batter evenly onto both baking trays and form into a long, flat rectangle (about 6 x 10 inches). I used a spatula to do this and to smooth the dough out a bit.
  7. Bake for 15 – 17 minutes until the top just starts to turn golden brown.
  8. Remove from oven and immediately cut on a slight diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Place each slice back on the baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. Then flip the biscotti and bake again on the other side for an additional 10 minutes
  9. Allow the biscotti to cool completely then dip the bottom of each one in melted dark chocolate.
  10. Pair with your favorite dipping beverage and enjoy!

Gluten-Free Marbled Zucchini Bread

I hate wasting food so when I found a few zucchinis in the veggie drawer that were looking a bit soft I figured I would throw together some zucchini bread as a treat to have around for the week. I was feeling really indecisive and couldn’t choose between standard zucchini bread and a chocolatey version so I decided on a marbled loaf so I could have the best of both worlds!

This recipe has a mix of Bob’s Red Mill Cup 4 Cup flour, oat flour (made by blending gluten free oats in a food processor until they are very fine) and coconut flour. This blend creates a consistency that is somewhere between a standard banana or zucchini bread and a fudgey brownie. This makes it really versatile as it can be great as a breakfast treat topped with some peanut butter and jam or a delicious dessert served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

If you love chocolate, you could easily double the amount of cocoa powder and chocolate chips in the recipe and make a full chocolate loaf and if you would rather have a more traditional zucchini bread you can omit the cocoa and chocolate all together. This would also be wonderful with a cup of chopped walnuts added in. However you choose to eat or make this bread I would highly recommend enjoying it with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee!

Ingredients: (Prep Time: 20 min. Bake time: 50 – 60 min. Makes 2 loaves):

  • 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Cup 4 Cup flour
  • 1 1/4 cups oat flour (made by blending oats in food processor until mostly fine)
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt (preferably full fat)
  • 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchinis)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder (optional)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 and grease two 9×5 baking tins.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together cup for cup flour, oat flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon
  3. In a smaller bowl mix together eggs, yogurt, almond milk, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add in melted butter mixing the entire time so as to not cook the eggs
  4. Combine flour and egg mixture and mix until smooth (about 2 minutes)
  5. Mix in zucchini until well incorporated
  6. Divide the batter evenly into two bowls and in one bowl mix in cocoa powder and chocolate chips
  7. Alternate 1/2 cup spoonfuls of chocolate and plain batter into greased baking tins until you run out of batter
  8. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean
  9. Allow bread 30 minutes to cool before removing from pan and slicing. Enjoy!