We’re all for sneaking in that pop of nutrition anywhere we can in all of our holiday recipes this year! Holistic health counselor, Pamela Salzman, makes it easy to do with her delicious recipe for superfood biscotti, made with coconut oil, goji berries, raw cacao and shredded coconut. There’s little that compares to freshly baked biscotti – especially when served with a cozy and equally beneficial beverage like her turmeric latte! Here’s Pamela…
Biscotti are the perfect holiday cookie for entertaining or gift-giving since they hold up beautifully at room temperature for days and freeze very well. But I love them because they are infinitely versatile. This version is chock full of superfoods like goji berries, raw cacao and coconut, making this a decidedly healthful cookie, especially when dunked into a turmeric latte! Once you have a base recipe that you like, the combinations of flavors and add-ins are endless.
SUPERFOOD BISCOTTI
Makes about 24
Ingredients:
¼ cup coconut oil or unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup maple sugar, organic cane sugar or honey (honey will make the cookies slightly less crunchy)
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp pure almond extract
2 cups whole spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 ½ tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
2/3 cup chopped almonds or walnuts or pistachios
½ cup goji berries, rehydrated in warm water for a few minutes, drained and patted dry
1/3 cup raw cacao nibs or dark chocolate chunks
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 cups dark chocolate chips to melt for dipping or 2 oz for drizzling
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
Beat coconut oil and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time and then vanilla and almond extracts and combine well.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add to sugar mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
Stir in goji berries, nuts, cacao nibs and coconut by hand.
Divide dough in half. Using lightly floured hands, shape each portion into a log 3-inches wide and 1-inch high. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake 30 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet; remove to a wire rack, and set aside until cool to the touch. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Cut each log crosswise into ½-inch slices with a serrated or very sharp knife. Place slices on the same parchment-lined cookie sheet. If you want long cookies, cut on the diagonal.
Bake 10 minutes; turn cookies over, and bake 10 more minutes. If you cut them thick, you will probably have to bake them a little longer. Cool completely on wire racks.
Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Spoon some melted chocolate over half of each cookie. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet or a wire rack set over the baking sheet so the chocolate sets. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.
Biscotti can be made ahead. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap in foil and freeze in a resealable bag for up to 3 weeks.
