Day 1: Holiday Biscotti
The 12 Days of Vegan Christmas Cookies
Every year I start the holiday baking with the Biscotti recipes. Biscotti, which means twice baked cookie. The reason for this is that these cookies are the sturdiest of the bunch, and without eggs of dairy in them they’ll keep just fine until the holiday. Simply store them in an airtight container in a cool place or in the freezer. This also makes them incredibly dunk-able, so have some coffee or tea ready to serve with these.
The reason I call these Holiday Biscotti is because of how cheery they look with their little flecks of red and green. The light sprinkle of sugar over the tops before baking gives them an extra crunch and sparkle. The recipes was adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe I made for years prior to going vegan. Now you can enjoy them without the eggs or dairy! What better way to start of the holiday season than with a tray of these?
- ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk, or other non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- Zest of one orange
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, plus extra for topping
- ½ cup canola oil, or melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted, shelled pistachios
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the flax seeds and non-dairy milk.
- Add the sugar, oil, orange zest, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients with the exception of the cranberries and pistachios.
- With the mixer on low speed slowly add the flour mixture and beat until completely incorporated. Scrapping down the sides of the bowl as required and taking care not to over mix.
- Roughly chop the cranberries and pistachios and gently fold into the dough, or pulse the mixer a few times to incorporate.
- Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into a log. Patting it down to 1-inch in thickness and 4 to 5-inches in width.
- Sprinkle the top with additional sugar and bake until puffed and light golden, about 26-28 minutes.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
- Once cool enough to handle safely, transfer to a cutting board and slice into ½-inch cookies (or thicker depending on your tastes) with a large serrated knife.
- Arrange the cookies cut side up on the baking sheet and return to the oven for an additional 20-25 minutes until crisp.
- Cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.
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