Cherry Cardamom Biscotti


I always forget that biscotti is relatively easy to make if time consuming. I either forget to set aside enough time or I convince myself it's going to be difficult. Then once I start, I really enjoy the process and wonder why I don't make biscotti more often. That said, given the sweetener in these, they are definitely a treat and not something I'd want to make a regular part of my diet.


Cherry Cardamom Biscotti

½ cup oat bran
½ cup thick rolled oats
1 ¾ spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cardamom
½ cup maple syrup*
¼ cup molasses*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon double espresso liqueur**
½ cup hazelnut pulp or hazelnut butter***
¼ cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut dried cherries into small pieces.****

Combine oat bran, oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cardamom in large bowl.

Whisk together the maple syrup, molasses, hazelnut pulp, vanilla, and espresso liqueur.

Slowly add wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Scrape down the sides the bowl when necessary. Mix in the dried cherries.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and form it into a log, about 12 inches long and 3-4 inches wide.

Place the log on the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch turning around halfway through if necessary.

Cool log on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Transfer the log to a cutting board. Cut into ½-inch thick slices. 

Place the biscotti flat on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 6-8 minutes. Turn cookies over. Bake for another 6-8 minutes or until dry and firm.

Remove biscotti from oven.

Move to cooling rack. Let cool. Biscotti will get crisper as it cools.


 * I really wouldn't substitute another sweetener for this though I suppose you could do all maple syrup if you want. I, however, prefer to mix the two because the molasses has some nutritional value. These cookies don't have much liquid, so these two liquid sweeteners tend to work best.

 ** You could substitute strong coffee, like espresso, for the coffee liqueur, and, frankly, I probably will when I run out of coffee liqueur because I don't anticipate buying more of the liqueur. But throwing it away feels like wasting money, so I'll bake with it until I run out.

 *** So far I've used hazelnut pulp every time I've made these because it's what I've had in the refrigerator though I'm guessing they would be equally as good with almond butter, which might be easier to find.

 **** It's important to chop the cherries into small pieces so they'll distribute better throughout the cookies and not create cracks in them. I felt a little rushed when I made them this time and left the cherries a big larger than I should have. I could tell the difference, especially along the edges where there were cherries, when I went to slice them for the second bake.

 Note: I use organic ingredients whenever possible.

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