Gluten-Free Goodness: Double Chocolate Mocha Biscotti

The other evening my husband and I were invited to some friends for dinner. They asked if I would bring dessert. I was feeling particularly lazy and didn't want to make a trip to the grocery store for any ingredients. So, I went to my pantry and pulled together a pleasant winter-time dessert tray: biscotti, chocolate-dipped dried fruit, and my homemade hot cocoa. The four of us demolished the tray of treats.

The biscotti recipe is from Elana's Pantry and therefore is made with almond flour (by the way, if you're new to almond flour, Honeyville makes particularly good blanched almond flour and is available on Amazon). I made this biscotti recipe for Christmas gifts last year and it was well received. It's equally delicious dipped in coffee or cocoa.

The chocolate-dipped dried fruits idea came from my mom. They were incredibly easy and a lovely addition.



DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MOCHA BISCOTTI
(from elanaspantry.com)
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2 1/4 c. blanched almond flour
1/4 c. cocoa powder
2 Tbsp arrowroot powder
1 Tbsp coffee, espresso grind
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. agave nectar
1/2 c. dark chocolate

In a food processor, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot powder, coffee, salt, and baking soda. Pulse until ingredients are well combined.

Pulse in the agave nectar until dough forms a ball. Remove the dough and work in the chocolate with your hands.

Form dough into 2 logs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 1 hour.

Cut logs into 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal with a very sharp knife. Spread slices out on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F for 12-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool until crispy.



CHOCOLATE-DIPPED DRIED FRUITS

assorted dried fruits (I used dried cherries and dried apricots)
chocolate chips for dipping (I used both semi-sweet and white chocolate)

Melt chocolate in the microwave, start with 45 seconds, then at 15 second intervals until melted. Dip fruit in the chocolate and lay on a wax paper or parchment paper lined baking sheet until dried.

I went so far as to double dip the cherries--first in white chocolate, and when dried, dipped in semi-sweet chocolate. Yum!

Gluten-Free Goodness: Chocolate Chip Scones

This month we're excited to bring you lots of baking ideas--from cookies, to candies, to scones--to inspire your holiday baking!

I'm going to kick off the baking season for you with a recipe for almond-flour scones. I first made these last spring. Jeremy and I were both delighted with them. They are easy to make, not to sweet, but nonetheless still a treat and perfect for breakfast, tea time, or a snack!

This past week when Alaina asked for some gluten-free baking ideas for a bridal shower brunch she was hosting, I passed along this recipe to her and while I wasn't there, I did hear these tasty morsels were very well received.

The original recipe is from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam. Sometimes I make a blueberry variation and that's purely from the Gluten-Free Experimentation Brain of Stephanie (which let's be honest, doesn't always work! But this time it did!). We love both versions.



CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES
(from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook)
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2 1/2 c. blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 c. grapeseed oil (I usually use canola oil)
1/4 c. agave nectar
2 large eggs
1 c. coarsely chopped dark chocolate (73% cacao)

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, agave nectar, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined, then fold in the chocolate. Drop the batter, in scant 1/4 cups 2-inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 12-17 minutes, until golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Let the scones cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheets, then serve. Makes 12-16 scones.

Variation: For blueberry scones, substitute fresh or frozen blueberries for the chocolate. Add 1/2 tsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Prepare and bake as directed.

Off The Shelf: The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook

The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam is the latest book I've been raving about to my friends. Why am I so excited? Elana begins the book by showing the nutritional benefits of using almond flour (versus white wheat flour or rice flour): there is more than twice the protein in almond flour than the other flours and far more vitamins and minerals. Not to mention: it's also gluten-free!

Combined with her exclusive use of agave nectar as a sweetening agent, Elana's recipes produce food that is much lower on the glycemic index than normal cooking which is a boon for people who need to monitor their blood sugar or want to avoid going the route of diabetes.

So what does this 126-page book hold? Chapters on breakfast, breads and crackers, entrees, pies, pastries and crusts, cakes and cupcakes, cookies and bars, and toppings, syrups, and sauces. Some of the recipes featured include: Banana Blueberry Muffins, Orange Apricot Scones, Pancakes, Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Scrumptious Sandwich Bread, Olive-Rosemary Bread, Herb Crackers, Chicken Pot Pie, Herbed Turkey Loaf, Eggplant Parmesan, Savory Vegetable Quiche, Pecan Pie, Peach Blueberry Crisp, Strawberry Creme Tart, Pizza Crust, Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Raspberry Torte, Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Lemon Bars, and Ginger Macadamia Brownies.

Now, before you get all excited and run out to the store to buy some almond flour, let me tell you the bad news: almond flour is expensive. Not having time to shop around for the Carrot Cake I chose to make, I spent $11.79 for one pound of Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour. I later found out I could have gotten it for $8 a pound at a different local healthfood store, and, if I'd ordered it online in bulk I could pay only $5/pound. However, it is worth taking the health benefits into consideration as well as spacing out your sweet consumption. (The best deal we've found on agave nectar is at Costco.)

Another word of advice from a friend: ideally you want fine almond flour, not grainy almond meal (such as my Bob's Red Mill turned out to be). However, despite my grainy textured almond flour the carrot cake still came out quite well. So, if grainy is all you have, try it anyway.

Oh, and if you want more inspiration from Elana, check out her food blog here.

And now, for the amazing, incredible, hard-to-believe-it's-gluten-free, carrot cake:



CLASSIC CARROT CAKE
(The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook)
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3 cups blanched almond flour
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 c. grapeseed oil (I used canola)
1/2 cup agave nectar
5 large eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup raisins (I like golden raisins)
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (I used pecans)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with oil, line with parchment paper, and dust with almond flour.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, agave nectar, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in the carrots, raisins, and walnuts. Scoop the batter into the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 1 hour, then serve.

Note: I topped this cake with a low-sugar, cream-cheese/whipped cream icing (recipe follows). You could use your favorite cream-cheese icing recipe. Elana suggests using her Creamy Coconut Frosting which is also dairy free.

WHIPPED CREAM/CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
(Heather)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar
zest of 1 lime or 1 orange (your preference)

Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the cream, sugar and zest. Continue beating until icing is thickened. Add more sugar if desired.

Weekend Fare: Gluten-Free Chocolate Heart Cookies

This hasn't been one of the easier weeks for me. I had wonderful plans of a great post with recipes for dinner for two and I made half of it last week, which is pretty unromantic. :) And so, I will give you that post tomorrow - after I finish the other two recipes for it! It will be a great meal perfect for a Valentine's Dinner at home.

So today, Heather is sharing a gluten-free cookie recipe! These cookies are a perfect Valentine's treat for those who are gluten-free (and will be very tempting for those who are not!). They are intensely chocolate with a delightful almond flavor and a fudgy sort of texture.



CHOCOLATE HEARTS
(from Christmas Cookies by Lisa Zwirn)
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5 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Baker's Unsweetened since it also avoids soy lecithin)
2 c. (about 8 oz.) finely ground blanched almonds or almond meal (I ground unblanched almonds in my vitamix)
3/4 c. sugar, plus more for rolling out the dough
3 Tbsp. kirsch (or, I used 3 Tbsp. brandy plus 1/2 tsp. almond extract)

Place the chocolate in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the ground almonds and 3/4 cup sugar and pulse a few times to combine. Add the kirsch and 2 Tbsp. of water and pulse until the dough starts to hold together. If it's too crumbly, add up to one tablespoon more water. When you squeeze the dough it should stick together.

Sprinkle a clean work surface with sugar. Working with half the dough at a time, place it on the sugar and roll it out to about 1/3-inch thickness. Sprinkle the dough with a little sugar if the rolling pin sticks to it. Using a cookie cutter, stamp out hearts. Transfer hearts to a cooling rack. Reroll the scraps with the remaining dough. Let the cookies dry on the rack overnight to firm up.

Store, layered between sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks; or freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes 2-3 dozen.