Today I took a snapshot of my morning snack. I eat a whole lot when I write a lot (mental energy burns calories!) and I wasn’t intending this to be on the blog, but I had to share it.

Almond Biscotti are something I haven’t had for over 10 years.  Longer.  I’ve had to- long before it was trendy- give up all grain and gluten and even sugar and most sugar substitutes except honey- to spare myself a life of living on steriods and other scary medications to treat an autoimmune digestive disorder.   No flour and grain seemed a small price to pay for awesome health, but man, there are times when you just want something crunchy with coffee and tea.

I am thorougly addicted to these almond biscotti.  Even if you eat tons of gluten they are ridiculously satisfying and rich.  There is a trick to making them which I will share, as my first batch became a giant pancake in the oven that later got salvaged into brilliant, crunchy biscotti.   I hope you love them as much as I do!

Crunchy Almond Biscotti

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.  Have a big oiled or buttered cookie sheet nearby.

In a big bowl combine:

2 1/4 cups of almond meal (*I don’t waste almond flour on these, I get almond meal at Trader Joes)

1/4 cup of somewhat soft grass fed butter (leave out of the refrigerator for a hour or so before making)

1.5 tsp of vanilla (*sugar-free pure vanilla)

1 tsp pure almond extract is optional

Just shy of 2/3 cup honey

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 medium sized egg

It takes a while to mix this, to ensure all the clumps of butter are encorporated fully.

Spread the somewhat sticky mix into the shape of a long log.  Keep it thin, as you will see how much it spreads out on the sides.

Bake this for about 15 minutes, then start checking them in the oven.

What happens: the whole thing gets flat like a pancake.  I take a spatula and fold in the sides (it makes a bit of a mess but it bakes out nicely) to gather the batter in to make a thinner log with more depth.

Keep baking for another 5 minutes.  Repeat the “folding in” process.  It will look like you are making a bit of a mess, but you can fold in the sides and they’ll stay in place much more as the baking continues.

Try for another 2 minutes or so.  If you have “succeeded” in getting the log firm enough that the long sides fold in toward the middle of the log and seem to stay put,  and the whole thing seems firm but not too brown, leave it out to cool for about 15 minutes.

If you still feel its very much raw and like a pancake, keep folding in the sides (ir feels like you are destroying it, I know, but it works!) and put it back in the oven a few more minutes.

Once you have it firm and formed, let it cool.

Reduce the oven to 275 degrees.

With a sharp knife, cut the “biscotti” from the long log.  Turn each piece on its side and arrange that way on the same cookie sheet.

Let these sit in the  275 oven for about 15 minutes, checking after about 8 minutes.  Once they seem to be browning (not burning) and feel less “moist”, shut off the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet in the closed oven.

Once they are fully cooled, they should be  very crispy. Mine get crispy enough that I can only have them in tea or a coconut milk coffee.

Enjoy!!!

xoxo Dana

 

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