Crispy low carb almond flour biscotti with a touch of cardamom and orange. This is a deliciously grain-free way to start your day!
I am in full-on cookie-baking mode. I’m all about the low carb Christmas cookie recipes right now and I don’t seem to want to make anything else. Sorry, kids, I forgot about making dinner again, I was too busy dreaming up Christmas cookie ideas. I didn’t actually develop this cardamom orange biscotti recipe for the holiday season, but somehow it still fits. The warm spices and the orange zest in a cookie you can dunk into your hot drink…yep, seems like a Christmas cookie to me! Truth is I was just craving biscotti one morning and want a new and different flavour. Cardamom offers such a unique taste which goes well in both sweet and savoury dishes, I am rather enamored of it.
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I really do love the Christmas baking season, and the majority of my baking does focus on cookies. Cakes, pies and other desserts are all very well and good, but Christmas cookies are in my blood. They are part of my heritage. My mother used to make huge batches of her roll-out Christmas shortbreads and we kids would decorate for hours. No icing, just cut up dried fruit and little sprinkles and coloured sugar that we would press into the soft dough before baking. She would give them away like crazy and we’d still end up with dozens in the freezer that would last well into February. Not that we minded.
And on the other side of my family, my father’s wife also had her traditional Christmas cookies, the pecan crescents. These were also shortbread-like in nature, but shaped by hand into plump crescents and filled with finely chopped pecans. And then topped with a sweet white glaze and sprinkles. She made many other wonderful cookies, but those were my favourites. I actually attempted my own low carb version a few years ago and they were quite good, but not quite the same. I’ve actually gotten much better at low carb baking and I think I could try again and get an almost exact replica. I may get to that, I may not. I have way too many ideas for low carb Christmas cookies, and not nearly enough time.
Ah well…in the meantime, enjoy these not-quite-Christmas Cardamom Orange Biscotti!
Crispy low carb almond flour biscotti with a touch of cardamom and orange. This is a deliciously grain-free way to start your day!
- 2 cups almond flour
- ½ cup Swerve sweetener or granulated erythritol
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- ¾ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve sweetener
- 1 ½ tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
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Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, granulated Swerve, baking powder and xanthan gum. Stir in orange zest and cardamom.
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Stir together melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract until dough comes together.
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Turn dough out onto baking sheet and form into low, flat log, 10 x 4 inches. Bake 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250F.
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With a sharp knife, gently cut into 15 even slices. Place slices back onto baking sheet cut-side down and bake for 15 minutes, then flip each slice and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Turn off oven and let sit inside until cool.
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For the glaze, whisk together the powdered Swerve with the orange juice. Drizzle over cooled biscotti and let set 30 minutes.
Serves 14. Each serving has 3.91 g of carbs and 1.79 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2.12 g.
Food energy: 123kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 2.65g
Total fat: 11.06g
Calories from fat: 99
Cholesterol: 8mg
Carbohydrate: 3.91g
Total dietary fiber: 1.79g
Protein: 3.75g
Jeanette says
My mom makes the best biscotti but I do love the combination of orange and cardamon in yours – beautiful!
maria says
I made these last night and they are just about perfect. Crisp! Following directions for cooking times and leaving in oven until cool.
I left out the butter and added another egg. Sometimes low carb food just has too much fat for me—not because of calorie concerns—just too much unctuousness. The recipe worked beautifully, and what a pleasure it is to dunk a biscotta into a low carb almond milk latte.
Thanks a million once again.
Maria Brent, NJ
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
I can’t wait to make these!
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
I do adore biscotti. Love the simple but powerful pairing of cardamom and orange!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
Those are just gorgeous!
Sandi DeFalco says
I’ll have to give these a try. I’m probably substituting the cardamom with equal parts cinnamon and nutmeg (according to Buzzle.com substitutions). I’m running out of room in my spice cabinet for yet another spice I’ve never tried, LOL!
Carolyn says
When you can fit it in, definitely get some cardamom…it’s very unique!
Debra says
Carolyn, where do you buy your almond flour? It’s costly to buy it in 10oz packages with as much as I’m beginning to use. We’re trying to kick the wheat out of our diet as my husband has very severe vascular disease.
Carolyn says
It is costly to buy, I agree. My favourite is Honeyville, and it comes in 25lb bags for about $30. Pricey, I know, but a bag lasts me a while and I bake a LOT! And if you sign up for their email list, you can often get 10 to 20% off. I usually wait for one of the coupon codes to buy.
Debra says
Thanks Carolyn for the information about Honeyville. They do have the best prices.
shelly (cookies and cups) says
Love these! I have become obsessed with orange sweets lately 🙂
Stumptown Savoury says
When I saw gluten-free I had to stop and check it out. I’m not gluten-intolerant, but it never hurts to cut down on the wheat in one’s diet and I do like my biscotti. Nice recipe. I’ll have to give it a try.
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
Biscotti is one of my favorite holiday treats!
Renee says
I use cardamom a lot and it is fantastic in baked goods. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
Cardamom always reminds me of the holidays. It’s such a nice, cozy flavor. (If it were possible for flavors to be cozy. But you know what I mean, right?) These look fantastic!
Aranna says
As a recently-diagnosed diabetic, I had despaired the loss of baked goods. THANK YOU for making them possible again!!!
Do you have a net carb count for these?
Carolyn says
Darn, did I forget the nutritional counts again? I will go and calculate, but I don’t think it’s more than about 3.5 net carbs per biscotti.
Eric says
These look great. I love orange, and am working on a rolled orange cake right now. Any idea of the carb count in one of these?
Carolyn says
Just updated the recipe. Sorry I forgot that bit! About 3 g net carbs per biscotti.
Sandi DeFalco says
I thought something was missing when I printed earlier. Thanks for updating with the carb count!
☺
Kate@Diethood says
I forget about fixing dinner, too… it’s all about the cookies, and brownies, and tarts around here 🙂
I love homemade biscotti… that cardamom and orange combination is a brilliant idea!
Ginny says
Wonderful Carolyn! Can’t wait to try this!
Katharine says
These look great! How do you store them? I haven’t made any of your biscotti yet, but I’m sure it’s as delicious as all the other recipes!
Carolyn says
The great thing about biscotti is that they are supposed to be hard and dry. Just store on your counter in a dish. Easy!
Laurie says
Thoughts about freezing your biscotti? I’m trying to cook ahead for Christmas, and I think two weeks of storage on the counter is a bit too long.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Biscotti is one of my favorite cookies to make and give around the holidays and your cardamom version sounds wonderful!
mellissa@ibreatheimhungry says
I love cardamom and just posted a roasted duck with cranberry, orange and cardamom glaze last night – looks like we’re on the same page flavor-wise this week! I have been craving some biscotti, and was planning to play around with some savory ideas soon. I might have to scrap that idea and just make these though, since I have all the ingredients already and they look amazing! Looking forward to more awesome cookie recipes in the coming weeks – woo hoo! 🙂
Mary Schrantz says
Do make the effort to find cardamom in the pod, green or white, not black, then shuck out the little seeds and grind for the recipe. The difference in flavor is astronomical. Lemon also plays well with cardamom.
Nancy/SpicieFoodie says
Okay now I want a cup of coffee and some of your biscotti for breakfast tomorrow. Your recipe sounds delicious! I’m not much of a baker but I do enjoy it this time of year. My hubby’s family bakes so much for the holidays. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
oh yummy! I just bought almond flour to make another recipe, and I have enough left over to make these too!
Maureen says
Wow! I just made these! SO GOOD!! I had never used cardamom, I now love it! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
marla says
Love this recipe! Will be linking back to this in my upcoming post 🙂
Gerri says
Fabulous flavor combination! Love cardamom.
Any hints to keep them from breaking? Mine broke when I ever so gently sliced the loaf & others broke when baked. Thanks for another scrumptious recipe.
Carolyn says
Hmmmm. Okay, for one you need to make sure they are completely cool before cutting. Secondly, do it with one sharp knife and don’t saw back and forth but cut straight down in one motion. That should help!
Gerri says
Sawing back & forth is what did it. Thanks, Carolyn.
Regina says
I just made them with hazelnut extract and almonds…so good, my issue is when I make them I leave them out for quite a while after the 1 st bake because I always seem to have to run somewhere, but they end up still wet in the middle… This time I baked them at 300 degrees for 1/2 hour but they came out the same, they are even still wet after the 1st round of the 2nd set of baking is done…any ideas?
Carolyn says
No, I don’t have any ideas in this case. Very strange because I make biscotti all the time and it’s not wet in the middle. I am thinking you may need to leave the whole uncut log in your oven with the oven off after the first bake. That may help.
Nancy says
Can’t wait to try your recipe, Carolyn! Can you tell me where you find powdered Erythritol or do you make your own?
Carolyn says
I buy mine from Swerve http://www.swervesweetener.com/103.html It’s the best, IMO.
Nancy says
SWEET!! 😉 Thank you!
Marilyn says
OMG this looks incredibly delish! LOVE it! I’m celebrating my birthday with a recipe link up along with a giveaway for 4 oz of each of these spices: ground cardamom, ground chipotle pepper, ground ceylon cinnamon, whole cumin, granulated garlic, and oregano. I’d love for you to stop by and link up this recipe along with any other’s that use any of these 6 spices. TGIF!
marilyn
http://4you-withlove.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-birthday-party-begins.html
Amy Baum says
I made these last night and they are amazing! I didn’t do the glaze. They made the house smell wonderful and the only negative is I’m afraid I might eat too many of them. They would make great cookies too. I left mine in the oven all night after making them and had them with my coffee and cream this morning. Yum Yum! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
Jennifer says
wow, these are SO good! And really easy. Great recipe! I try to keep my FODMAPs low, so I subbed half the erythritol for Splenda and skipped the glaze. Definitely making again. Now if I can just resist eating the whole batch in a day!
Any suggestions for storing these?
Carolyn says
Yes, just store them on your counter in any sort of container. They stay crisp and good for about a week.
Jana says
I made these yesterday and I was very excited to try one this morning with my morning tea. I was not disappointed. Angels sang, world peace seemed attainable, and I felt as though someone was giving me a giant warm hug.
Pretty good for biscotti, no? 😉 You knocked this out of the park! Such a delicious combination of flavors and the texture was divine. Thank you!
Carolyn says
Okay, that is the BEST comment I’ve had in a long time. Thank you! 🙂
BethH says
Love your recipes! I have so many printed in a binder to try, now I need the time to test them out. 🙂 Thanks for inspiration.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Beth!
Celeste says
This recipe is amazing, thank you!
I have been trying to find a website to order Almond flour cheaper than I can buy it at Costco and I saw your comment that you buy yours for 25 pounds for $30!!! I looked on the Honeyville website and it says it has 25 pound bags for $184… Was that a typo? I thought it sounded too good to be true as I’ve yet to find it for less than six something a pound anywhere :/
I’ve started substituting one quarter cup of coconut flour for each cup of almond flour in many of my baking recipes plus adding one extra egg for each quarter cup of coconut flour. Do you think the biscotti would hold together as well if I made that substitution? appreciate your thoughts! 🙂
Carolyn says
Must have been a BIG typo. At the time, it was $130 or so. I haven’t tried the biscotti with coconut flour, but in my experience, coconut flour makes thing chewier so I just don’t know that it would work that well for biscotti.
Celeste says
Thank you, appreciate your help 🙂
Pam says
Oh cardamom.. how I love it.. I miss German Stollen.. it’s the flavor of that for me.. I’m tempted to drag my very sick self into the kitchen and make these. 🙂 Nah.. better wait.. maybe I’ll ‘wheedle’ a little helper I can ‘instruct’ in making these (and maybe she will grow up to bake low carb, gluten and grain free).
alex says
Do I need to use xanthum gum? I have everything else in the house and they look good!
Carolyn says
No, you don’t need to. They will be a touch more fragile.
Elizabeth says
Wow, Carolyn, I followed your recipe exactly. They did not dry out and get crisp. They taste good and I will eat them, but they are more like a soggy shortbread than a biscotti. Also, how do you get the Swerve to dissolve in the orange juice to make the glaze? It does not dissolve. I’m just wondering what I did wrong . . . ?
Carolyn says
What brand of almond flour did you use? If it wasn’t the finely ground stuff, that might be the issue. Also, were you using powdered Swerve for the glaze?
Peggy D.... says
Hi Carolyn, I love your biscotti and have tried several variations. I just had a knee replacement and the dry biscotti is helpful with my pain meds. Which I hate to take but necessary right now. Helps with the nausea. And they are quite simple to make. I can mix up the dry ingredients and then rest before finishing if I need to. I have found i need to increase baking time for first and second baking usually leave in oven overnight or till oven is cool. Sometimes have to turn oven back on. Anyway, thanks for great recipes!
Carolyn says
You’re welcome. Glad to hear it helps with the pain meds too!
Georgia says
MAGIC – Love your recipe Carolyn, I switched the butter to coconut oil and the sweetener I hadn’t heard of ( in New Zealand) so I used Rapadura Sugar, I also tried them with Maple Syrup, Walnuts and Mixed (Dutch windmill biscuit spice to be precise) spice, all good. Lemon zest and mixed spice worked too. Next I’m going to try with crystalised ginger in them.
Served with roasted fruits and whipped coconut cream…. mmmm