Cranberry Pecan Biscotti - KETO (Carolyn)

Servings: 15 Biscotti  |   Net Carbs 3 per Biscotti

Crisp almond flour biscotti studded with cranberries and pecans and dipped in sugar-free chocolate. This easy low carb biscotti recipe is a classic holiday treat made keto! Perfect for gift giving or keeping all to yourself. 

Ingredients:

Biscotti:

• 2 cups almond flour
• ½ cup granular Swerve Sweetener
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (can also sub 1 tablespoon coconut flour)
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• ¼ cup butter melted
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup sugar-free dried cranberries

Chocolate Dip:

3 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped

½ ounce cocoa butter (or 1 tablespoon coconut oil)

White Chocolate Drizzle:

• 1 oz cacao butter, chopped
• 2 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener or other powdered erythritol
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

But the dark chocolate dip is my favorite anyway, and goes so well with the cranberries and pecans. All I do is melt some Lily’s Dark Chocolate with a bit of cocoa butter so it melts more smoothly. Then I dip, you dip, we dip!

Instructions:

Biscotti:

Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, Swerve, baking powder and xanthan gum. Stir in orange zest.

Stir together melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract until dough comes together. Add pecans and dried cranberries and stir until mixed throughout.

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.

Chocolate Dip:

In microwave or double boiler, melt chocolate until smooth. Dip ends of biscotti in and lay on a waxed paper lined baking sheet until set (you can chill them to set the chocolate faster).

Notes:

Making almond flour biscotti really isn’t very different from making conventional biscotti. The method is the same, baking a log of dough first and then slicing it and re-baking the slices. Done right, you will end up with crisp biscuits that are perfect for dipping into coffee or tea.

But there are a few differences. Being gluten free means that these almond flour biscotti are a little more fragile and have to be handled with a bit of care when slicing. Here are my best tips for making low carb, gluten free biscotti.

Be sure to use finely milled almond flour. That goes almost without saying. The finer your flour, the better your biscotti hold together, so try to use good blanched almond flour and not the more coarse almond meal. For all of my biscotti and other keto baked goods, I always use Bob’s Red Mill almond flour.

To help it hold together even better, try adding a bit of xanthan gum or 1 tablespoon of coconut flour. The coconut flour helps make the biscotti a little drier, and you want a dry consistency for biscotti. Bob’s Red Mill is my go-to coconut flour as well.

If you are adding nuts or cranberries into the mix, be sure to chop them finely before adding. Larger chunks can make it hard to slice the loaf properly.

Keep your loaf on the small side, about 4 by 10 inches, so it’s easier to cut.

When you cut, you want to gently saw first just to get through that crisp top layer, and then you want to cut straight down. If you saw the whole way through, it tends to make the ends break off.

Be patient! Let the biscotti completely dry out in the warm oven. They may still seem a bit soft after the second baking but they will crisp up as they cool.