Vegan Biscotti With Almonds And Cranberries
Vegan biscotti with almonds and cranberries - this vegan version of biscotti is just as delicious as the original and so easy to make! They are wonderful with a cup of coffee and keep for ages so make great Christmas gifts!
Servings 20 biscotti
Ingredients
- 180 g (¾ cup + 2 Tbsp) caster (superfine) sugar
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) unsweetened soy milk (other non-dairy milks will work but soy really is best) room temperature
- 2 tablespoon melted refined coconut oil (or another neutral oil)
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon or orange (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 275 g (2 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 75 g (2 ¾ oz) whole almonds (blanched or with skin)
- 65 g (2 ¼ oz) dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, soy milk, melted coconut oil, zest and vanilla extract until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until it forms a rough dough then add the almonds and cranberries and mix until they are well distributed. Use your hands to bring it together into a ball.
- Divide the dough into two even pieces and shape each one into a log about 5cm wide. Place them well spaced apart on the baking sheet and use your hands to slightly flatten them and square off the edges for perfectly shaped biscotti.
- Bake the logs for 30-35 minutes until they are firm and lightly browned.
- Remove the logs from the oven and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 1.
- Once the logs have cooled, use a very sharp serrated knife to cut them into diagonal slices about 1 to 1 ½ cm wide. Don't put too much pressure on the knife, try and gently saw through.
- Lay the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and return them to the oven for 8 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake for another 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Once cool store in an airtight container.
Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- This recipe will work with any non-dairy milk (except probably coconut), but unsweetened soy milk is best as it has the highest protein content and therefore most closely mimics the egg.
- You can swap the melted refined coconut oil for another type of mild flavoured oil if you prefer.
- Make sure that the milk is room temperature, or even lukewarm, otherwise you risk the coconut oil re-solidifying.
- Don't try slicing the logs before the 15 minutes cooling time is up otherwise they will be hard to slice and crumbly.
- Biscotti are tricky to slice neatly, vegan or otherwise, and you will get some crumbles no matter what you do. You need to make sure that you use an incredibly sharp serrated knife, preferably with a narrow blade, and don’t put too much pressure on the biscotti – try and gently ‘saw’ through the crust. If you are struggling to slice them you can try spraying the crust with a bit of water and leaving it for a minute before slicing them, this should help to soften the crust a little so it is easier to cut through.
- If you want softer biscuits you can reduce the second bake time a little; and if you want really super crunchy ones you can increase it a bit.
- You can swap the almonds and cranberries for other nuts and dried fruits if you prefer.
- For extra almond flavour you can add ½ teaspoon of almond extract.
- The biscotti will keep for several months provided they are stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.