Pecan Cinnamon Biscotti with Chocolate Drizzle
I can hardly believe I’m about say this, but I actually didn’t like biscotti as a child. My idea of a cookie then was something soft and chewy. The crispy texture of biscotti just did not meet those childhood expectations. Growing up in a cold climate, biscotti was often gifted by family and friends. It wasn’t at all uncommon to have some in our home served alongside coffee for cold winter days.
Fast forward to my adult days and my palette has changed. I now love coffee as well as a full range of cookie textures and tastes, and I smile to think there was a time when I didn’t love these things!
Let’s chat about this recipe for a minute. To start, the photos you see here are of the vegan version I recently made. It’s a recipe that can very simply be made vegan by the substitution of vegan butter and eggs. When baking vegan, I use these Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks and then use a combination of ground flax seeds and water as a substitute for eggs. As I was taste testing, I can honestly say that I don’t think it hindered the flavor one bit. To make these 100% vegan, you’ll also need to use a vegan chocolate. There’s a variety of brands out there that will work. I particularly like this roundup of vegan chocolate by the Spruce Eats.
A couple things to note as you make this biscotti…
- The dough should be relatively stiff. When adding the pecans and cinnamon chips, it’s quite likely you’ll have to work them in by hand. I allowed my mixer to kick things off once I added those ingredients and then finished up by hand. Nothing like a bit of hand kneading to really feel like a baker!
- Once you shape the logs, you’ll want to press down gently on the dough to create the classic oval biscotti shape. I wasn’t sure how much the batch you see here would flatten so I kept them in their full log shape. When I make them again, flattening the dough is a not a step I will skip.
- Biscotti “crispiness” is entirely up to you. After the initial 25-30 minutes of baking, my biscotti were crispy on the edges but still quite soft in the middle. Once sliced and in the oven for the final bake, you can bake them until they reach whatever crisp texture you prefer.
Pecan Cinnamon Biscotti with Chocolate Drizzle
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup crushed pecans
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (For vegan butter, I use Eath Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks.)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs (For vegan eggs, mix 2 1/2 tbsp flax seeds with 8 tbsp warm water. Stir and let sit for 10-15 minutes until thickened.)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cinnamon chips or toffee pieces
- 2 oz dark chocolate (or substitute favorite vegan chocolate)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If your pecans are whole, crush them into small pieces using a food processor or nut grinder. Spread the nuts on a cookie sheet and toast for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract until combined and smooth, approximately 3-5 minutes. On low speed, mix in flour and baking powder until well blended. Stir in toasted pecans and cinnamon chips. Dough will be somewhat stiff and pecans and cinnamon chips might have to be worked in by hand.
- Pour dough onto a clean surface and split into two portions. Shape each portion into a 9-10" log. If you prefer a longer biscotti, make your logs shorter. Once shaped into logs, press down gently on the logs to create an “oval” shape. Wrap each portion in cling wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until dough is firm.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place oval-shaped logs 4” apart on cookie sheet. Whisk a small egg to egg wash the logs (or spray with vegetable cooking spray) and then generously sprinkle logs with granulated sugar (1/8-¼ cup depending on preference). This will help to create a crust on top of the biscotti. Bake for 25-30 minutes until logs begin to develop an outer crust and the tops have some cracking. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Using the parchment paper, slide logs off the cookie sheet and slice into 10-12 slices each depending on preferred thickness of each slice. Arrange slices back on the cookie sheet close together. Bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until slices are lightly toasted and golden brown. You can turn the slices during baking if you prefer to ensure an even bake on both sides.
- Once cooled, melt the chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Drizzle chocolate over biscotti (or dip). If chocolate is slightly too thick to drizzle, add a few drops of vegetable oil and combine well. Sprinkle with additional pecans or cinnamon chips if desired. This recipe creates 20-24 pieces of biscotti and can easily be doubled.
