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.
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!
Cardamom Orange Biscotti
Ingredients
Biscotti:
- 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
Orange Glaze:
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve sweetener
- 1 ½ tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, granulated Swerve, baking powder and xanthan gum. Stir in orange zest and cardamom.
- Stir together melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract until dough comes together.
- 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.
- 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.
- For the glaze, whisk together the powdered Swerve with the orange juice. Drizzle over cooled biscotti and let set 30 minutes.
Notes
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
Nutrition
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oh yummy! I just bought almond flour to make another recipe, and I have enough left over to make these too!
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. 🙂
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.
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! 🙂
Biscotti is one of my favorite cookies to make and give around the holidays and your cardamom version sounds wonderful!
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!
The great thing about biscotti is that they are supposed to be hard and dry. Just store on your counter in a dish. Easy!
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.
Wonderful Carolyn! Can’t wait to try this!
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!
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?
Just updated the recipe. Sorry I forgot that bit! About 3 g net carbs per biscotti.
I thought something was missing when I printed earlier. Thanks for updating with the carb count!
☺
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?
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.
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!
I use cardamom a lot and it is fantastic in baked goods. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Biscotti is one of my favorite holiday treats!
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.
Love these! I have become obsessed with orange sweets lately 🙂
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!
When you can fit it in, definitely get some cardamom…it’s very unique!
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.
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.
Thanks Carolyn for the information about Honeyville. They do have the best prices.
Those are just gorgeous!
I do adore biscotti. Love the simple but powerful pairing of cardamom and orange!
I can’t wait to make these!
My mom makes the best biscotti but I do love the combination of orange and cardamon in yours – beautiful!
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