Vegan Chocolate Walnut Biscotti - Online

Recipe adapted from and inspired by: Vegan Biscotti Recipe - Vegan Chocolate Walnut Biscotti
2 c. all-purpose flour [We used 50% white, all-purpose flour and 50% whole wheat]
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa
3 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped walnuts [We subbed pecans instead]
1/2 c. (1 stick) dairy-free soy margarine [Earth Balance to the rescue!]
2/3 c. agave nectar or maple syrup [We used 50% agave and 50% maple syrup]
1/3 c. raw cashew butter
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 c. Egg Replacer whisked with 1/3 cup hot water [Ener-G brand, of course, though I did see a Bob's Red Mill version that will be my next purchase once the Ener-G needs to be replaced]
2 T. almond milk or soy milk [We used Silk Vanilla Soy]
1 c. dairy-free dark chocolate chips
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1) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix in the chopped nuts [We pulsed them in the mini-food processor]. Set aside.
3) In another large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the dairy-free soy margarine for about 1 minute, or until lightly fluffy. Add in the agave nectar, cashew butter and vanilla extract, beating until creamy and well mixed. Add in the Egg Replacer mixture and almond milk. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until forming a soft dough.
4) Form the dough into two slightly-flattened logs, and place on the prepared sheet. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove and allow the logs to cool for 15 minutes on a wire cooling rack. Turn down the oven to 300 F.
5) After the logs have cooled for 15 minutes, use a sharp knife and cut the logs crosswise diagonally into 20-24 biscotti. Lay each biscotti on its side on the prepared sheet, and bake again for another 10 minutes, flipping the biscotti with a spatula half-way through. The biscotti should be lightly golden brown, but not burned, when done. Allow the biscotti to cool on a parchment lined sheet on a wire cooling rack.
6) Meanwhile, in a double boiler or a stainless steel bowl set over boiling water, melt the chocolate chips. Once melted, brush the underside of each biscotti with melted chocolate and return to the parchment lined sheet to cool completely. Biscotti (or, as the Italians would say "BISH GOAT") should be enjoyed and kept at room temperature.

COMMENTS: While this biscotti recipe tastes good, something else didn't go right - the biscotti doesn't hold together well and is not hard and crispy - it is somewhat chewy, which, is good for a cookie, but not so great for biscotti. The biscotti's gotta be crispy for dipping, duh!

The directions say to bake the biscotti until lightly golden brown, which puzzled NMcL and I since, due to the presence of the dark cocoa powder, it was impossible to discern a light, golden brown tone. Duh! I suspect that the dough was simply underbaked which would explain why the softness of the finished product.

We skipped the melted chocolate step since we didn't have any vegan chocolate chips. It might have helped to bind the biscotti together.

In the future, I might just try experimenting with this recipe to make regular circular cookies since despite the texture being off, the taste is good (rich and chocolately but not overly sweet.) It would probably make a good, chewy cookie, but as far as vegan biscotti, I'd try other recipes before trying to tweak this one.