Who knew that a seemingly “dry” cookie could be so delicious! Could it be the concentrated flavors, the yummy add ins, or just the excuse that with its dryness, you can dip it into your morning coffee or afternoon tea? Biscotti is another thing I didn’t really have growing up. Since I have a german and english heritage we were more of a shortbread cookies kind of house. Biscotti is a very popular Italian cookie, and since having them in my adult years, I’ve grown to love them!
But since going gluten-free and avoiding wheat flour, I haven’t had biscotti in years. I didn’t even think until now how yummy they could be made using oat flour. Since its a light tasting flour and dries out nicely (and not gummy), it was the perfect addition to these cranberry pistachio biscotti.
Cranberries and pistachios are a classic combination in biscotti, but if its not your thing, you really can swap them out for your favorite add ins. Chocolate chips would be great, or even another dried fruit such as dried blueberries, figs, raisins or dates. Pecans would also be fabulous instead of pistachios. As this is a great ‘base’ recipe, you can switch it up however you like!
Since I’m the biscotti rookie, I totally forgot to cut them on the diagonal, but I think next time I’ll get it right. It was no concern though, as they still looked pretty with the pretty red and green colors in there, and the taste, well it speaks for itself. I especially loved the addition of the lemon zest. It gave it a little something and was a nice touch of lemon flavor.
If you’d like to make these dairy-free, Earth Balance which is a vegan margarine, would work well in this recipe. You might also be able to try coconut oil, in the softened state (versus the liquid state). I imagine it would also lend a slight coconut flavor too.
Regardless of how you make it, it will turn out delicious. I tried some traditional biscotti shortly after making this, and they tasted very similar. No one will ever know its made with oat flour and sweetened with stevia. That can be our little secret 😉
- 2 cups oat flour*
- 1½ tsps baking powder
- ½ cup + 2 Tbsp stevia for baking (I used NuNaturals MoreFiber Stevia)
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup pistachios, chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped (I used Reduced Sugar Craisins)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the softened butter, eggs, stevia and lemon zest. Mix until very smooth and fluffy.
- Add in the oat flour and baking powder and mix until combined.
- Then add in the pistachios and dried cranberries and mix until evenly dispersed in the dough. Dough should be pretty stiff.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, form 2 rectangular logs. You'll want the dough about an inch thick.
- Bake for 25 minutes, remove from oven. Place on a cooling rack and cool for 10 minutes.
- Once cooled enough to handle, move to a cutting board, and cut each log into approx. 10 cookies. Cut straight across or on a diagonal.
- Place cookies cut-side down back on the baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes. Cookies should be dry to the touch and golden. If still too moist, bake a few minutes longer.
- Cool cookies on a baking rack. I let my cookies dry out overnight so they were extra crunchy. Place cookies in a glass container when completely cool. If stored in glass they should remain crunchy. If stored in plastic, they may lose a bit of their crunchiness.
- Will keep at room temperature for 1 week+. Freeze for up to a month.
