For those of you who are not aware of biscotti, it is a very delicate Italian cookie that is beautiful with a cup of tea or coffee or even by itself. The literal translation of biscotti is "twice baked" in Italian.

Over the time, Vegan's have found it difficult to make sublime biscotti. Getting the texture right can be a bit of an art form, however it is all in the ingredients that you use.
Old school recipes will not take into consideration that we prefer to save our beautiful animal friends...
hence the need to ensure we use the right ingredients to make the perfect, guilt free Vegan biscotti…YUM!

Tips & Hints
Interchanging egg replacers, fats, sweeteners, and flours in recipes can result in wildly different textures and tastes, but the basic idea with the creations was to dry out the biscotti without making it too hard. The following descriptions should give you an idea of how various options change the results in biscotti.

Check out our past article on Egg Replacers to get a great idea of the type of products that you can use. However, for this little number it is probably best to use Flax seed egg replacer. It gives lift and contributes to the texture.
To make the Flax seed egg replacer, use 1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds to 3 Tablespoons water for each egg to be replaced. Whip flax seeds and water together with a hand blender or in a blender until frothy. It’s easier to blend enough for at least four eggs—3/4 cup water to 1/4 cup flax seeds. Replace up to four eggs with this mixture. You can store extra egg replacer in the refrigerator for one week.

The other trick with biscotti is getting the right fat and oil content right. Due to the lower fat content in things like applesauce, pumpkin or dates will make the texture chewy and not crumble, which is totally what you are after.
Probably the best ingredient to use it Coconut oil.

Here are some essential Biscotti tips:
- Add enough flour to make a very stiff dough.
- Roll dough into logs the length of a baking sheet-about 14 inches.
- Bake biscotti the the first time ahead. You can freeze the logs, then thaw and bake biscotti up to a month after freezing. I often bake the logs a day ahead. Then, I slice them and bake them the second time later.
- Use parchment paper when you bake. Carefully remove the entire sheet to a cooling rack. Slide from the baking sheet so you don't break the logs when you transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Let logs cool before slicing. Use a sharp serrated knife to slice. Determine how large you want the biscotti by the slant of your knife.
- Use a pizza screen for the second baking to get an even toasting on all sides.
- Store in a closed glass jar or, for long-term storage, in the freezer.

Ingredients:

2 cups barley flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2-3/4 cup sugar (Use your favorite vegan variety.)
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
Flax seed egg replacer for 4 eggs
1 ounce (30 grams) baker’s chocolate, melted
1/2 cup strong coffee or use grain coffee substitute (available in natural foods stores)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon coffee extract
1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flours, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Set aside. Blend sugar with shortening. With a hand blender or mixer, add egg replacer, melted chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and coffee extract. Combine wet and dry ingredients, mixing until a stiff dough forms. Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Form into three logs and lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten the logs’ tops slightly. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Remove and let logs cool for half an hour before slicing.

Set oven temperature to 325 degrees. Cut logs on the slant into 1/2-inch slices. Lay slices flat on a pizza screen and bake for 25 minutes or until cookies seem fairly crisp. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes 55

ENJOY!