Crisp almond flour biscotti with the delicious flavors of chocolate and coffee. This low carb, grain free treat could be breakfast or dessert. You decide!
You have to hand it to the Italians; they can take seemingly any old food and make it edible. More than edible, they can turn it into a coveted dish or treat that has the rest of the world salivating at the very thought. Take biscotti, for example. Under less capable hands, biscotti would just be some dry old cookies that had been hanging around, too stale to serve to guests and destined for the rubbish bin. But the simple ingenuity of that boot-shaped Mediterranean country managed to convince the world that they were supposed to be this way, perfect for dipping into your hot coffee. Or better yet, your frothy cappuccino. They certainly managed to convince this girl. I could eat biscotti every single day. Dipped into my hot coffee. Or better yet, my frothy cappuccino.
Traditional biscotti is of a rather plain sort, sometimes with almonds, sometimes with pine nuts, sometimes with a little anise. But the great thing about these dry, unassuming sliced cookies is that they lend themselves well to adaptation. Americans have wholeheartedly adopted biscotti and made them into so much more. Now they are no longer unassuming little brown cookies, but come in a stunning array of flavours and varieties. In that somewhat over-the-top American way, biscotti are getting fancy and dressed up in all sorts of trimmings. Chocolate, dried fruit, seeds, spices, extracts, the possibilities are virtually limitless. I am very guilty of this elaborate biscotti adaptation myself. I make no apologies for this.
So I was craving biscotti the other day and wracking my brain for a new, fun flavour. When it refused to simply manifest itself in my head, I did what any good food blogger would do for inspiration: I hit Pinterest. Oooh, boy. Type “biscotti” in the search box on Pinterest and you will find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of results. You might even find yourself paralyzed, wondering which wonderful creation to make first. That didn’t happen to me this time. This time, I zeroed in on the one I wanted almost instantly: these beautiful Mocha Chip Biscotti for Sally’s Baking Addiction. Yup, I just had to take those beauties and make them low carb and gluten-free.
Was I successful? Let’s just say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Maybe two thousand, when you’re hungry for biscotti.
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
- 3 ounces dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 tbsp finely chopped nuts almonds or hazelnuts
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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 the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, instant coffee, baking powder and salt. Stir in the melted butter, egg, whipping cream and vanilla extract until dough comes together. Stir in the chocolate chips.
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Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet and form into a low long log, about 4 by 10 inches. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until firm to the touch and just lightly browned. Remove and let cool at least 20 minutes.
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Using a sharp knife, cut into about 14 slices (a straight up and down motion works better than sawing back and forth).
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Place slices back on baking sheet, cut side down. Bake 15 minutes, then flip biscotti over, turn off oven and let sit inside until completely cool.
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In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt chocolate and butter together until smooth. Dip the end of each biscotti into melted chocolate and then sprinkle with nuts. Return to baking sheet to set.
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Use any leftover chocolate to drizzle over biscotti.
Susan says
Can’t wait to make these after work. A quick search of your past biscotti recipes reminded me of what fabulous taste combinations you have brought us! i always have several choice in rotation. We especially love the ginger and peppermint ones
Pug says
Oh my god, I just LOVE it when you post a fantastic recipe and I have all the ingredients already! Guess what I’m doing today!!
Michelle says
Thanks for the recipe. For fear of keeping the kids up near bedtime, I replaced the cocoa powder with oat fiber, left out the chips and added a tablespoon of ground anise. They were really good and EVERYONE ate them, which is unusual around here. Next is the coconut cake. Can’t wait.
With much gratitude,
Michelle
nell says
I am making these as we speak. I did not see where you added the first 1/3 C
of chocolate chips so I just added them to the dough. They smell really good!
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says
That looks like an awesome biscotti flavor! I love dipping biscottis in coffee, so I think these would be perfect 🙂
MrsD says
First effort was a flop! I grabbed the wrong measuring spoon and added 1/2 T of baking powder instead of 1 tsp., thus it came out more cakey in texture, and lots of cracks on top of the log after first baking. On the second bake, I opened the oven door to find smoke and burned cookies! Darn it! I’ll turn the oven down or completely off next time I do the second bake. It’s too good to give up!
Kelly says
Making it now, smells delicious in the oven! Do the chocolate chips for the biscotti dough go in the dough last? I assumed so, but it wasn’t in the instructions.
Carolyn says
Whoops. Yep they would go in last.
Wendy says
These were very easy to make and really worth it. I loved the coffee and chocolate flavors. It’s a real keeper!
Lorraine says
These were very easy to make and really worth it. I loved the coffee and chocolate flavors. It’s a real keeper!
Tana says
Hello, do you think I could use coconut milk or cream instead of the heavy whipping cream, and coconut oil or ghee instead of the butter? Thank you!
Carolyn says
Sure, that would be great!
Lisa says
There isn’t a serving size. Are the nutritional facts for the entire recipe?
Carolyn says
Sorry, when my plug in updated, it removed a lot of that and I need to go back and fix. A serving is one biscotti.
Tyler says
Would coconut flour work as well as almond flour? (I have an almond allergy.) These look so delicious!
Carolyn says
No, coconut flour and almond flour work very differently. Your best bet here is sunflower see flour https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077YT16BG/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B077YT16BG&linkId=7b0eda5e19a54584d1112dda7bb60725
Michelle Baxter says
I have made these 5 times now. So good and great with coffee!
Carolyn says
Glad you like them!
Becky says
Unless I’m missing it, your instructions don’t say when to add the 1/3 cup chocolate chips to the dough? I missed that and made them without. I haven’t tasted them yet, because I just took them out of the oven, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Also, do you really not reduce the heat of the oven when you put the biscotti in for the second bake? I reduced it and went by the steps in some of your other biscotti recipes to finish them. I’ve probably messed up the whole thing, but just wanted to make sure because I love your other biscotti recipes and want to get these righ the next time. Thanks for all of your great recipes (not just biscotti!). 🙂
Carolyn says
Sorry about that. You didn’t ruin anything but you didn’t need to reduce the temp since 325F is lower than most cookies are baked at anyway. You may just need to bake them longer. Fixing the step about the chocolate chips.
Becky says
Thanks so much Carolyn!! I appreciate your fast response. Just to let you know, this is what I’ve made so far for the holidays from your baking recipes – Eggnog, Eggnog Scones, Eggnog Cheesecake Squares, Gingerbread Spritz, Chocolate Orange Spritz, Macadamia/Lime Biscotti, Chocolate Peppermint Stars and Almond Coconut Crisps. I HAVE NOT been disappointed! Everything but the Eggnog items (we already ate those :-)) are in the freezer. I’m not done yet either. I plan to make 5 more of your Biscotti recipes. The Macadamia/Lime were fantastic!! Can’t wait to make cookie trays this year!
Carolyn says
Wow, look at you go!
Ann Bodmer says
I really love all your biscotti recipes. My one question is with the mocha chip biscotti you only do a second bake for 15 minutes and then turnoff the oven. Your other biscotti recipes Call for a 30 minute second bake. Was this a typo or should you only bake for an additional 15 minutes?
Thanks for sharing all your wonderfully delicious recipes!!’
Carolyn says
Well different ingredients, including cocoa powder, require different approaches. But do these the way they are written and if they aren’t crisp enough after they cool, they can always go back in a warm oven for another half hour. (no more than 200F).
Ann Bodmer says
Thanks Carolyn!
Kara says
Can you use real coffee(In liquid form) instead of instant Coffee?
Carolyn says
Sorry but that would throw of the liquid to dry ratio
Eva Kouwenhoven says
First bake just done. They smell sooo good!
They didn’t rise at all though…
How can I replace the swerve swerve with either maple, honey or regular suga?
I look forward to your response.
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Regular sugar would be cup for cup. Honey or maple syrup would introduce too much moisture.
Eva says
Thank you for your quick reply. The flavor is very nice.
I did use swerve this time. I found it granular. I think it would fall apart if I dipped it in coffee.
Any suggestions?
Carolyn says
I am not sure what you mean by granular but if it’s done properly, you should absolutely be able to dip in coffee. What almond flour did you use?
Eva says
It tastes good but it turned out too granular to dip in coffee. I used swerve this time.
Any suggestions?
Merilyn Herrod says
Hi Carlyn
I just made these great tasting biscottis. However, I found that after the first bake I let them sit and cool for 30 instead of the 20 min.as they were still quite fragile and I was sure they would crack on cutting. Well, I hate to say they cracked quite a bit even at a 3o min rest. Three of them were really wrecked. The remaining ones held while I turned them cut side down. After the second bake the remaining ones were okay. I am sure I didn’t make any measurement or mixing errors so can you think of why my dough cracked and crumbled on some of them? I was pretty gentle in handling them.
Carolyn says
So definitely something went wrong… what brand of almond flour did you use? What sweetener?
Brígida Sullivan says
Although, I have already rated this, I have not made them yet. However, I am heading to the kitchen to make these. Having made many of your baked goods, I know they will be wonderful! Yet, I will evaluate after coffee and a biscotto. What I wanted to say is how much I enjoy reading your blogs, even if I do not plan on making a particular recipe. At 73, I am still an avid cook and a low carb woman. Love your books. Thank you.