Carrot Cake Biscotti

For a cookbook-style copy of this recipe, just click HERE!

 

While most cookies are suitable for dunking, biscotti – the name coming from the Italian for “twice baked” - are specifically made for it. They’re baked so as to remove as much moisture as possible, so if you eat one without dunking it, you might find yourself wondering what all the fuss is about. But dip a good biscotti in your coffee, tea, cocoa, or even a cold glass of milk (skim, of course), and you’ll understand immediately why they continue to occupy a unique, cherished place in the cookie universe.

In one form or another, biscotti have been made for centuries. They come in countless varieties, most having some combination of nuts and dried fruit. This week’s recipe for Carrot Cake Biscotti is a tasty, if somewhat unusual, take on that concept.

Why Carrot Cake Biscotti?

• They taste delicious.
• They’re an easy-to-follow introduction to making biscotti.
• Should your nourishment conscience suddenly start feeling guilty because you’re eating baked goods it’s easy to rationalize that they must be healthy since they contain carrot, walnuts and raisins.

When you make these, just remember that because the traditional carrot cake ingredients of carrots and raisins tend to retain moisture, your Carrot Cake Biscotti may not get to be quite as dry as more traditional biscotti. Trust me, it’s ok.

This recipe makes about eighteen 6” biscotti.

Place ¾ cup of chopped walnuts in a bowl of water and let soak for one hour. (Soaking the walnuts removes a good portion of the tannins that can make the walnuts bitter.)

After soaking, drain and dry the nuts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, peel and grate 1 pound of carrots.

In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; ¾ cup granulated sugar; ¾ cup brown sugar; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 egg-substitute eggs, and mix until it just starts to become a dough.

Add 1 pound of grated carrots,  1/3 cup shredded coconut, 3/4 cups raisins, and the walnuts. Continue mixing until the dough forms a ball.

Form the dough into a log about 6" wide and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicon sheet.

Bake for about 30 minutes, turning the baking sheet half-way, until just golden and firm.

To remove the log from the baking sheet, place a cooling rack upside down on the log.

Turn both the rack and the tray over together, and remove the tray and the silicon sheet.

Let cool on the rack for 10 minutes.

Cut the log into slices ½” thick. Place the cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for 12 - 15 minutes, turning half-way.

Turn the biscotti over and bake an additional 12 – 15 minutes.

Move them to a rack to cool.

All that’s left is to pour yourself some coffee, tea, cocoa or milk, and dunk away!

I hope you enjoy this unconventional take on an Italian classic. For a cookbook-style copy of this recipe, just click HERE!

Please visit again next week for another tasty, home kitchen-tested recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)