Thursday, September 8, 2011

Cocoa Biscotti - with pics by Mad Rooster Photography!

Photo by Mad Rooster Photography
Ah, biscotti... These twice-baked, crunchy, crisp, sweet biscuits can be stored for long periods of time because the process of baking them twice leaves them drier than a traditional cookie.

 The biscotti has a long and glorious history, dating back centuries to the Italian city of Prato, traditionally comprised of flour, eggs, sugar and almonds. Modern adaptations often add baking powder, spices, dried fruits and a wide variety of nuts.

 Due to their dry, hard composition, biscotti are best served with beverage - frequently in the United States with espresso, coffee drinks or tea. In some European countries, biscotti is served with wine, such as vin santo or muscat.

I always found the prospect of making my own biscotti a bit daunting, but after reviewing a few recipes, I decided to tackle the project by creating a vegan biscuit... and it worked! *applause*

I was so excited, I tried to take some creative photos of my finished product, but they turned out sort of dorky and lifeless, so I called in my photographer friend - Matt Radford, the genius behind Mad Rooster Photography - to take some gorgeous photos, in exchange for a sampling of the biscuits. They turned out great, and Matt even showed me how to adjust my camera settings on my point-and-shoot to get better results on my own. What a guy!
Photo by Mad Rooster Photography



Cocoa Biscotti 

Ingredients: 

1 c. unbleached flour
1/2 c. cane juice crystals or raw sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 c. nuts of your choice (optional)
1 T. egg replacer powder, mixed with 1/4 c. water (I use Ener-G)
1 T. flavoring or liqueur of your choice (I used almond extract)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, cane juice crystals or raw sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt and optional nuts.


In a small bowl, combine prepared egg replacer and flavoring or liqueur.


Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and stir until dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened and mixed in. The resulting dough should be sticky and a bit shiny. You may need to add more water or flour to achieve the right consistency.


Gather the dough into a ball and place on an oiled baking sheet. Roll the ball into two flattened "logs," each about 2" wide, 1/2" high, and 12" long.


Bake logs for 25 minutes, then remove from oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Allow biscuits to cool for ten minutes, then slice the logs diagonally into biscuits about 1/2" wide.

Place biscuits, sliced side down, on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Flip biscuits over and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Allow to cool completely before storing, and enjoy!
Photo by Mad Rooster Photography

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2 comments:

  1. I've been a little reluctant to make homemade biscotti but these look fabulous. I think I'll give it a try :)

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  2. It was so much easier than I'd imagined! And yummy!

    Try adding dried cherries and almonds, too! :)

    ReplyDelete