This recipe was my mom's idea. To be honest, I've never dug biscotti all that much but she suggested I try my hand at making a raw vegan version. I'm pretty satisfied with how they turned out, and they taste amazing with tea. They're kind of like cookies but simply in a different shape. I used almond flour from nuts.com in the base, and topped them off with raw chocolate sauce, coconut powder, grated nutmeg and lemon rind shavings. The citrus tastes lovely with the chocolate and the sweet biscotti.
My biscotti ended up still quite soft but you can choose to dehydrate (or bake if you don't care about keeping it 100% raw) them longer if you want that crunch that is a defining feature of the original. Up to you, as always. The almond flour was quite a treat to use, it made the biscotti taste kind of like marzipan, which I adore. My dad will appreciate that too, I predict. Nuts.com was also kind enough to send me spirulina powder and chia seeds to review and use in recipes... you'll see them featured soon.
I used these as an excuse to get away from my studying today. I'm in the midst of final exams so I'm constantly thinking of ways to take a break. I get decent grades despite the fact that I've never been much of a studying student. Personally, I pay attention in lectures and tutorials, and then all that is required before the exam is a quick review... it works well enough. Even still, getting that review done can be tedious. Essentially I'm just typing up all my hand written notes while saying some out loud to lock them in my memory.
Wow, what am I talking about... I am certain that no one cares about my study habits. Let's eat biscotti.
ALMOND BISCOTTI with CHOCOLATE, NUTMEG & LEMON
Biscotti:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup water, as needed
Spices, if desired
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate:
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon coconut nectar
Other toppings:
Nutmeg
Lemon
Coconut powder
To make the biscotti: pulse all the ingredients together in a food processor until it begins to stick together. Shape into a rounded, flattened log and dehydrate for about 4-6 hours or until it is the texture you want. Like I said, I liked mine softer so I only dehydrated them for a couple hours. Alternatively you can use your oven at its lowest temperature. Slice.
To make the chocolate: mix all the ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle onto your sliced biscotti cookies, then top with grated nutmeg, coconut, and lemon rind shavings. Serve with tea.
