I’m kinda sorta completely obsessed with all things hazelnut related. If someone asked me what I wanted for my last supper on death row, I’d promptly reply, “First, it’s called dinner not supper, but allegedly the South will rise again, so don’t you worry yourself over vernaculars. Second, I want nutella over nutella filled cupcakes, piled on top of a pillow of nutella cakes…AND HOLD THE GLUTEN!” What the heck, it’s death row, I can handle the gluten.
During my travels abroad, I came across a hazelnut biscotti that was so insanely delicious, I literally woke up extra early to stomp over to the local cafe for my daily biscotti and coffee. Note: I do NOT do mornings, and I’m not a huge coffee drinker unless it’s a legit cup o’ Italian brew or French pressed, so this was an act of devotion. When I got back home, I decided to experiment with some recipes to make a vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free recipe. I was anticipating gross cardboard-like sticks of non-deliciousness, but to my surprise, the biscotti was a mega hit. My non-vegan/non-health-crazed girlfriends gobbled them up like they were after dinner mints, and my husband and I maaaaaaaaybe (ok definitely) got into a thumb wrestling match for the last biscotti. I won…but only because I cheated—ummm, out-stratagem my husband. And people: THEY’RE VEGAN! And healthy! Put that in your coffee and eat! BOOM!
SERVES: Makes 32 biscotti sticks
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 15-20 minutes to roast hazelnuts/10-15 minutes for biscotti to cook.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 2 1/4 Pamela’s GF Flour (use coconut flour for Paleo diet)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 TBS coconut oil
- 3/4 cup stevia (more or less depending on how sweet you like your biscotti)
- 1/4 dried coconut nectar
- 2 eggs or vegan egg substitute
- Water as needed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
METHOD:
- Heat oven to 300 degrees, lay raw, organic hazel nuts on a pan and roast for about 15-20 minutes. By doing this yourself, you’ll preserve many of the nutrients in the nuts. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Place nuts in food processor and pulse until you have a nutty, flour like consistency. If you blend too much, it will start turning into nut butter. I actually like to pulse mine right up till that point to really bring out the flavors of the hazelnuts. It smells HEAVENLY. Remove from food processor and add to mixing bowl with dry ingredients.
- Add melted coconut oil, vanilla and eggs. Fold into mix, and add water a TBS at a time as needed. Mix should be moist but not too sticky or runny. Knead the dough, cover it and allow it to sit at room temp for 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees while you take dough out and roll flat between two parchment papers. I prefer my biscotti slightly flatter, but you can choose the thickness you’d like. Bake for 8-15 minutes, or until it’s golden and crispy around the edges.
Store in a container at room temp for up tow two weeks. This is one of those rare treats that taste better as they get “stale,” so you can make a big batch and keep it around for a while…if they last that long! Need some variety? Try adding cacao powder and organic chocolate chips for a delicious chocolate version of this mix! Much love and lots of spice from my kitchen to yours!
Naturally Fit Living 