Dunkable, Delectable Vegan Oil-Free Biscotti
As a nice Jewish girl, my Aunt Janet always made an amazing crunchy, twice-baked biscotti-like cookie we Jews call "Mandelbrot." But the basis of the original traditional recipe for it includes oil, eggs and white sugar...lots of each, so I abandoned any hope of creating a cookie like that once I went vegan and wanted to avoid eating animal foods, eating oil and cooking with oil.
So this recipe came about by accident as I was wanting to bake something the complete opposite...an almond pulp gooey chocolate bar thing. But I made so many alterations to the recipe that it went crunchy and this vegan miracle baby mandelbrot was born! Mazel Tov!
Vegan Cooking Level: Intermediate
Ingredients
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, room temperature
1/4 cup ground flax seed (flax meal)
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats, ground to a meal
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup mini dairy-free vegan chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life mini chips) +1/3 cup for drizzle
1/2 cup creamy natural ground peanut butter
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Mix the syrup and flax meal in a cup with a fork and set aside for 10 minutes to gel/thicken up. Do not skip this step, as it is what acts as the "egg."
Step 3: In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon and salt and whisk well. Stir the ½ cup chocolate chips into the flour mixture.
TO MAKE A TEETHING COOKIE FOR BABIES (or a less sweet cookie for you that is great with tea): Simply omit the vegan chocolate chips and follow the rest of the recipe
Step 4: After the 10 minutes is up for the syrup and flax meal mixture, stir in the peanut butter and vanilla and whisk until very smooth. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir for a couple of minutes until absorbed, pressing with the back of your spoon to help mix. This "batter" is very stiff and appears crumbly until it comes together and sometimes, using your the warmth of your hands to bring it together works best.
Step 5: Once the mixture comes together somewhat, pour onto the parchment paper and use your hands to shape the dough into a flat loaf shape (about ¼ inch thick). The heat of your hands helps the mixture come together while you shape it on the pan. You can slightly dampen your fingers, if it’s too sticky.
Step 6: Bake for 20 minutes and then cut into slices pushing them apart, and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until they are not soft anymore and nicely browned on the bottom and dried all around. (Note: These are actually good when still soft, but Biscotti is a twice-baked, crunchy Italian cookie! Your choice.)
Chocolate drizzle: To really kick this up a notch, melt 1/3 additional cup of morsels in a small glass bowl in the microwave on :30 seconds and stir until completely melted. Use your spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the cookies and once cooled, place on a plate in the refrigerator to harden. These cookies are best stored in the fridge!
What do you want to learn more about?
Whole Food Plant-Based Oil-Free Recipes
Vegan Cooking & Adventure Trips & Retreats
Working with me for serious weight loss & measurable health gains
My insanely fun Plant Power Preppers Club LIVE cooking group
The Free Plant-Empowered Woman Facebook Group
