Paelo Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Before I start, just a little note about home made vanilla based on the feedback I received. 

1) I do not let my baby play with glass bottles. 

2) store bought "real" vanilla is 35% alcohol and vodka is 40%... So if you bake with vanilla you really shouldn't have any ethical dilemmas using homemade vanilla. 

3) it is fine in pregnancy because alcohol content is removed when you cook/bake it. Plus you only use like a teaspoon for a whole recipe... You consume more alcohol as a result of gargling listerine!

4) I bought my vanilla beans from Costco

5) there is no set number of beans to use. The more beans, the stronger your vanilla will be. I usually put 4 beans In a small bottle. When I start a new one I just add the old beans to the new ones. That way they just accumulate over time. 

Now on to today's recipe!

Oh my goodness am I glad I found and experimented with this this week!! I have been looking ahead to Christmas thinking I would have to put my healthy eating habits on hold for the sake of tradition and yummy treats! 

THIS ONE IS CURTIS APPROVED! (This doesn't happen often with my health foods)

First Paelo: paelo diet is also known as the caveman diet. Eating only foods that the cavemen would have had access to. Meat, produce, seeds and nuts... No dairy, flours, cereals, or legumes. I am not necessarily promoting this lifestyle (since legumes and dairy are both healthy) but it has amazing and drastically healthy results from what I have seen. Anyway, I like to look for paelo baking recipes because they tend to be the healthiest options out there!

I came across this web page on Pinterest and decided it must be tried.(credit given where credit is due)

 ://paleospirit.com/2012/double-chocolate-pistachio-biscotti-paleo-vegan/

I am having my bible study group over on Tuesday and I like to be able to indulge in snacks without it being a "cheat". (So get ready to sample these if you are in my small group!)

First I had to somehow come up with some almond and coconut flour. Thanks to my handy dandy vitamix, I was able to make these no problem. (But I am sure I have seen these at sobeys in the gluten free section too). 

To make almond flour, I recommend chilling your almonds in the fridge or freezer first, since there is a very fine line between almond FLOUR and almond BUTTER. I didn't chill mine because I have a special blender attachment for making dry blends (flours). If you chill them you could use a regular blender or food processor. 

Put one cup or a little more (not much more or you will get butter not flour) into your blender and pulse it several times till it starts to grind. I sifted mine (as shown above) and pulsed a second round of times. 

I did the same thing with my unsweetened coconut.   With both you will get some bits that don't sift through. I am saving those for my granola recipe. You could also put it in cookies or muffins or stir it into your nut butters for some crunch. ...or just throw it out...

On to the recipe!!

I decided to use cranberries instead of the pistachios because... I can... :) and I use a fare trade allergy free chocolate chip that is 71% cocoa (aka healthy). 

So I mixed all the ingredients together: almond and coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder (not sure how that's paelo but whatever), salt and maple syrup and it was more like brownie batter which is not good for shaping into a log for biscotti. (Tasted fantastic tho). I added a 1/4 cup more almond flour and my cranberries/chocolate chips and let it sit so the coconut flour and cranberries could soak up some moisture. 

And then shaped it into a "log"...

More of a blob. After baking it, it was more soft than I expected. 

(The corners kind of... Got eaten...). Because this is such a soft recipe, you need to let it cool an hour before you slice it for re-baking. 

Slicing the cookie was very interesting(difficult) because the chocolate chips stay soft. If you choose to do the chocolate chip version, make sure you do your cooling in the fridge or freezer. It will make cutting waaaaay easier. 

You put them on their side and bake another 15-20 minutes. I did 15 minutes, flipped and did another 5 (could've done 10)

Once these were done, I decided their must be a better way...

Now when it comes to flour, I always measure it fluffy and levelled. I decided to make the recipe PACKING the flour instead.  I also used honey instead of maple syrup, since many of you are more likely to try it with honey. I used less, since honey is more sweet. I used 1/3 instead of 1/2 cup. So these two adjustments resulted in a much better log!

I also chose to put slivered almonds in there instead of chocolate chips to see if it will cut easier. It did cut easier, but it was also a bit chewier from the honey and added flour, so I had to bake a bit longer after it was sliced. 

In the end I had two awesome biscottis.

The first recipe is sweeter with a richer chocolate flavour and a lighter crunch to it. 

The second has a lighter sweetness with stronger almond flavour and a stronger crunch (a good coffee cookie). 

I will write out both versions. Feel free to mix and match among them. It would also be good with vanilla added!

Cranberry Chocolate chip Almond Biscotti

1 1/4 cups almond flour (not packed)

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground rock salt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use dark 71% cocoa)

Combine flours, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Stir well. Add maple syrup and stir. Add cranberries and chocolate hops and allow to sit for 10 minutes (or while preheating oven) to allow coconut flour and cranberries to soak up some moisture. 

Put on parchment lined cookie sheet and shape into a long narrow log. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. 

Cool 1 hour in the fridge prior to cutting. 

Cut loaf diagonally to create slices of cookies. Work gently as the dough is soft. Take care not to break cookies. 

Lay them on their sides and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Flip and bake an  additional 10 minutes

Cranberry Almond Biscotti

1 cup well packed almond flour

1/4 cup well packed coconut flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground rock salt

1/3 cup raw honey 

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Combine almond and coconut flours with cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add honey and stir with a spoon at first, and then use your hands as you add almonds and cranberries. Shape into a long narrow log on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Cool for one hour at room temperature and then slice into pieces, cutting diagonally across the loaf. Lay flat on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Flip and bake an additional 15 minutes. 

Cool fully and enjoy. (These are chewy when warm, not biscotti-like until cooled).