Lottie’s Biscotti (Gluten, Oil Free and No Added Sugar)

Where do I begin? This recipe is a long time coming! I was kind of nervous to make these – not because they wouldn’t come out great but actually because I knew they would be great! Nuts are my weakness and  always will be. I love them and they are one of those foods you should only have in small amounts. Honestly, I have a hard time having anything in small amounts! Whether I’m running or eating moderation is not my thing!When people ask me “how do you not eat this or that?!” I always look at it the other way around. There are so many healthy options and I always have a hard time not over-eating the healthy foods. This recipe came about because my aunt makes a similar biscotti that my whole family adores and we always serve it for dessert or in the afternoon with a cup of tea. The ingredients intrigued me – it was such a simple recipe that I figured the execution must be the difficult part. But it was a piece of cake! The hard part was actually picking which pictures I would share because they all came out so drool-worthy. 

I found it ironic that I was making biscotti. As I watched my mom show me how to slice it perfectly I laughed to myself. Many years back my mom had a company called “Lottie Biscotti,” which was named after my grandmother Lottie Shalom A”H. She made several different flavored biscotti and sold them locally in New York. I remember when I was younger she would bring home the broken pieces and I would eat them every night as I watched TV did my homework.

So I was excited to make a healthier alternative and they actually looked uncannily the same. The other night we had a taste off with my family to see whose tasted better. You can’t beat my recipe – it’s only TigerNut flour, almonds, baking powder, eggs, vanilla, stevia sweetened chips and raisins.TigerNuts is this amazing new product I came across in Wholefoods. I was intrigued by the high fiber content. The actual “tiger nut” is chewy and earthy tasting – a really yummy snack and a great alternative to nuts. Also a perfect option for those allergic to nuts. The flour worked so well in this recipe. It really helped bind the biscotti and offered a lot more nutrients. It is also gluten-free, which is another bonus and makes it easier to digest. You can make the biscotti with almond flour as well but TigerNut flour. Want to try TigerNuts you can get 10% off using the code RootVeggie

My first time making biscotti was a success and I didn’t even end up with that many broken pieces. PS. The broken pieces may be even better than the whole biscotti slices; for some reason I always feel like I am waisting them when I eat a whole pretty biscotti. And the broken pieces kind of reminded me of granola bits! A great alternative to sprinkle on fresh fruit or paired with almond milk for a crunchy cereal.
Recipe Preheat oven 275

• 3 cups almonds (roughly chopped in a food processor)
• 1 cup tiger nut flour (you can substitute with almond flour)
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 4 organic eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips
• 1 cup raisins (you can use any other dried fruit be sure its finely chopped if using something like apricots– you can always use another cup of chocolate chips)

1. Place your chopped almonds, tiger nut flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl whisk eggs and vanilla. 
3. Combine eggs and almond mixture, fold in chips and raisins. 
4. On a lined baking sheet form two logs-you may need to wet your hands so it does not stick to your hands. Make sure they are even size logs. 
5. Place in the oven for 23 minutes at 275 
6. Let cool for at least an hour (I left mine over night) then slice into biscotti. Be sure not to cut them too thin or they will break. 
7. Place back in the oven to toast at 300 for 20 minutes.