Biscotti with a Persian Twist

By Vegiegail

Ingredients

• 3 cups of flour (I used equal amounts of organic pastry flour and all purpose flour)
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder (Yes, a Tablespoon!)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 cup of agave necar OR 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup of smooth unsweetened applesauce or apple butter
• 1-3 Tablespoons neutral tasting oil of choice (I used coconut oil; Use more oil for softer biscotti, less oil for crunchier biscotti)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• For Sour Cherry and Almond Biscotti: 1/2 cup tart (sour) cherries AND 1/2 cup almonds
• For Cranberry Pistachio and Cardamom Biscotti: 1/2 cup cranberries AND 1/2 cup pistachios AND 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom

Details

Servings 20
Adapted from westofpersia.wordpress.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 325 F and lightly oil one large or two smaller cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, and cardamom powder if using.

In another bowl, mix together the agave or sugar, applesauce, oil, and extracts. (Use more oil for a softer biscotti, less oil for a crunchier biscotti)

In thirds, gently add and stir sugar mixture into the flour mixture. Batter will be very thick. Add the nuts and fruits. Finish the mixing with your hands.

With floured hands, shape the dough into two 3-inch wide “logs” about 3/4 inch thick, with the ends squared off. (Measure if you have to; I did!)

Bake the logs for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack. As they cool, drop the oven temp to 300 F.

Cool the logs on a rack for 15 minutes. Cut the logs carefully with a sharp knife straight across into 1/2 inch wide slices.

Place the slices cut side down on the cookie sheets and bake for 5-10 minutes more.

Turn the slices over and cook 5-10 minutes more, or until golden on bottom. NOTE: The biscotti might look under-cooked. They almost certainly are not. They will harden up as they sit.

Cool on racks, then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.