Chocolate Cherry Macadamia Nut Biscotti

I’m procrastinating again.  I have a huge meeting tomorrow, so I’m practicing the bad habits I picked up in university and waiting until the adrenaline starts to finalize the details. I made my first biscotti with my dear friend Sharrone in Jersey years ago. Isn’t it such a treat to spend an afternoon with a friend and bake away in each other’s kitchen together?  Her recipe is the first recipe  I ever entered into my shiny new recipe book – which I wrote by hand on a piece of card stock and filed into a book if you can believe it. Side note * My husband recently brought me home an adorable wooden recipe box. How sweet is he?  I do not think he realizes that I store most of my recipes online.

Back to biscotti.  I switched Sharrone’s recipe around a bit to make it gluten free for this 30 day Gluten Free challenge that my sister Gillian somehow roped me into. I’m always getting roped into these things.  I also added in some different nuts.

Here’s the new recipe. Change up the fruit and/or nuts in this recipe to make it your own!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten free flour.  I chose spelt flour.
• 3/4 cups organic cane sugar
• 3/4 cups hazelnuts, finely ground (in food processor)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped california maccadamia nuts (I used Russell Family Farms found at Santa Monica farmer’s market)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup orange juice or coffee.  *make a french press of coffee before you start and enjoy a cup while you’re baking*
• 2 egg whites (or flax seed mixture)

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, ground nuts, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.   Mix in chopped nuts, chocolate and cherries. Combine very well.

In a small bowl, combine honey, coffee and egg whites.  Add liquid to flour mixture and knead until dough is formed.

Divide dough in half and roll each half into a strip about 12 inches long.  Arrange strip on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and set in another baking sheet to help prevent burning.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until fully baked and puffed. Cool slightly.

Place logs on a cutting board and cut into 1/2 inch slices on the diagonal. Turn cookies cut side up on a baking sheet and rebake for 15 minutes longer until cookies are slightly brown. (biscotti means twice baked)