With my lack of interest in sweets this year, I came to the realization that if I just started making sweet recipes to post here on the blog, I would eat them, simply because they were here. This is my number one rule for being mindful of how I eat and not making bad decisions. If you don’t have it in the house, you can’t and won’t eat it. Even with not being much of a dessert or baked goods person, my hatred of wasting food would definitely beat out my disinterest in any sweets. So, I have opted to just not make many sweet things this holiday season. Problem solved.

Though this time of year tempting sweets sseem to be around every corner, it doesn’t mean we have to overindulge. It is totally possible to enjoy a little something sweet without the massive guilt that usually immediately follows. I don’t love the idea of taking care of yourself all year round and then going hog-wild at the holidays. For me, a little indulging here and there is good, but there is no logical reason to consume several pounds of sugar over a two week period, just because of the time of year and because that’s “what we do”.

Sure, I haven’t found myself much in the mood for sweets this holiday season, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it also doesn’t quite feel like Christmas without at least one batch of cookies. Enter these grain-free, vegan, ever so perfectly sweet Dark Chocolate Dipped Almond Cranberry Biscotti with Sea Salt! These cookies will likely be it for us this year in the Christmas cookies, and I am totally OK with that. They are all the cookie I could ever want.

These grain-free, vegan Almond Cranberry Biscotti are the perfect, dip-able treat. Begging for a hot cup of coffee, hot cocoa, tea or maybe some spiked eggnog to be dunked into. They are just the right amount sweet, with a little tartness from the cranberries and they are wonderfully crispy, finished off perfectly with dip of dark chocolate and just a hint of sea salt.

This recipe was originally shared on the Free People Blog BLDG 25

 

[print_this]Grain-Free Dark Chocolate Dipped Almond Cranberry Biscotti with Sea Salt {gluten-free and vegan}
Makes 12-15 cookies 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (tightly packed)
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or tapioca starch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup dried unsweetened cranberries, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds or other nut
• 3-4 oz high quality dark chocolate, 75-85% cacao, you can use chocolate chips or a roughly chopped bar
• Course sea salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your stand-up mixer (or in a food processor) combine the almond flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Process until all of the ingredients are well combined. Then add in maple syrup (or honey), non-dairy milk and vanilla extract until the dough forms a ball. Fold in dried cranberries and sliced almonds by hand.

Dampen hands and form the dough into a log approx 11″-long and 2″-wide on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool for 1 hour. Turn the oven to 250ºF.

Once fully cooled, cut the log into 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal with a very sharp knife. Spread slices out on a baking sheet cut-side down and bake at 250° for 10 minutes, then turn over and bake another 10 minutes on the other side. Turn off the oven and let them sit inside the oven on the baking sheet until cool.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler using hot (but not boiling) water, in the microwave in 30-second increments or use a chocolate melter. Dip one end of each biscotti into the chocolate, make sure it’s coated and let any excess chocolate drip off. Place the biscotti back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top of the chocolate. Let the chocolate set.

Once cooled, they should be nice and crispy. Store the cookies in an airtight container. Be aware that these cookies will lose a bit of their crispiness the longer they sit. Enjoy! [/print_this]