Cranberry Almond Biscotti

I've tried to make biscotti once before and it didn't turn out so great. I mainly remember it was hard as a rock and pretty bland. Now, oddly enough, I really do love bland crunchy food most of the time, but when you're drinking a good cup of coffee you gotta have something sweet. It's just a fact.

I recently got the Forks Over Knives cookbook from my sister-in-law for my birthday and so far all the recipes I've made have turned out good. I had yet to try out one of the desserts until today and I'm so glad that this biscotti recipe turned out to be delicious! I hope you try it.

Cranberry Almond Biscotti
(Makes 16 slices)

Adapted from Forks Over Knives

⅓ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
¾ cup evaporated cane sugar
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup almond butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ⅔ cups whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup fruit-sweetened dried cranberries

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the orange juice and flaxseeds vigorously so it becomes frothy.
Then mix in the dry sweetener, applesauce, almond butter, and vanilla.

Next add in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and allspice, then add the salt and mix until well combined. Knead in the cranberries using your hands.

On the prepared baking sheet, form the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches long by 3 to 4
inches wide (you may need to add flour to your hands because the dough will be sticky). Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, or until lightly puffed and browned. Remove the sheet from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Turn the over temperature up to 375ºF.

Cranberry Almond Biscotti on parchment paper

After your biscotti loaf has cooled, use a very sharp knife and slice the biscotti into 16 slices. I found it was easiest to slice the entire loaf in half and then to continue slicing each section in half until I had 16 slices. It is probably best not to "saw" the biscotti or the dough may crumble. It worked for me to point my knife straight up and down and cut it in short stabs.

Once you have you slices, lay them down on the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes (I ended up going for about 15 or so), flipping the slices halfway through. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring the slices to cooling racks