Two weeks back I borrowed Vegan Italiano book by Donna Klein from the library in order to send a couple of entries to DK's AWED - Italy and Dee's Herb Mania - Basil. But due to some reason or the other I was not able to open the book until yesterday. The book has everything from appetizers, soups, salads, one pot meals to decadent desserts. I don't know why, but I always start from the last in any book/magazine (not fiction though). Once I also heard an astrologer mention that "Mithuna" (Gemini) rasi people tend to do that. While doing so I found this simple almond biscotti recipe using applesauce. The amount of fat/oil used in the recipe also caught my attention. It requires just 1.5 tablespoons of canola oil!
Recipe
Eggless Almond Biscottis
A very simple recipe to bake eggless almond biscottis using whole wheat flour and applesauce.
Need To Convert Measurements?Check out the Baking Measurement Chart!
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Whole Wheat Flour (See My Notes)
- ¾ Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- ½ Tablespoon Baking Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ¾ Cup Sugar (See My Notes)
- 6 Tablespoons Sweetened Applesauce
- 1.5 Tablespoons Canola Oil
- ½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- ½ Teaspoon Pure Almond Extract (I Made It ¼ Teaspoon)
- ¾ Cup Slivered Almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) for 15 minutes.
- Line a standard size baking sheet with foil or parchment and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the sugar, applesauce, oil and extracts.
- Add the sugar mixture and almonds to the flour mixture, stirring to combine.
- Finish mixing with your hands until thoroughly combined.
- With floured hands, shape the dough into 1 log about 3 inch wide and ¾ inch in thickness and transfer to prepared baking sheet. (See My Notes)
- Bake on the center rack 25 minutes or until firm to the touch.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool 15 minutes.
- Decrease the oven temperature to 300F(150C).
- Using a sharp knife carefully cut the cooled log crosswise into ½ inch wide slices.
- Remove the foil and place the slices, cut-side down, on the baking sheet.
- Bake about 7 to 10 minutes, or until bottoms are just golden.
- Turn the slices over and bake to 5 to 8 minutes, or until bottoms are golden.
- Using a spatula, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Store in airtight containers up to two weeks, or freeze.
My Notes
- Shaping the dough into a log: At first I floured the surface and tried making log, but transferring it to the baking sheet was a little tricky. Instead I rolled back the dough into a ball again and transferred it to the baking sheet and formed a log on the sheet itself. This was very easy.
- Also slicing the baked log, requires patience, because it tends to break in the middle.
- I observed that the baking time mentioned in the recipe (both for baking the log and for baking the slices) are just approximations. It took another 5-8 minutes to get the desired result.
- The biscottis came out well, but I would suggest using all purpose flour itself instead of whole wheat flour and also reducing the quantity of sugar to ½ cup. It was very sweet to our taste, also it had an earthy flavor because of the whole wheat flour. I have made chocolate cookies using whole wheat flour earlier and my family loved it, but we felt that it did not work out for the biscottis. This eggless biscotti recipe is definitely a keeper and I will be baking it regularly using all purpose flour.
Did You Make This?I love seeing what you made! Leave a review comment below and be sure to tag me at @EgglessCooking when you share a photo!
Katherine says
Just made the biscotti and the crinkle cookies. Thanks! As for me, I made the biscotti with the reduced sugar and thought it could use more if eaten as a cookie. I like the anise idea too. Used a little more than a tablespoon of amaretto instead of almond extract.
You're weclome Katherine. Amaretto sounds great too!
Anne says
Great recipe! I did not have applesauce so I used mashed sweet potato with a little extra water to make a similar consistency. I left out the almonds and almond extract. Instead I used walnuts, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves and 1/2 tsp mace.
Thanks for the feedback Anne and I love the twist you have given to the recipe. Did you use whole wheat flour or all purpose flour?
cherry says
thanks for clarifying
cherry says
i don't have apple sauce. can i omit it altogether or what else do i use? thanks
Reg applesauce, usually it is used as a substitute for fat(oil/butter) or eggs. In general half the quantity of fat is substituted by applesauce for low calorie baked goods. In this particular recipe I'm not sure if it is used as an egg substitute or fat substitute.
Reg. using honey. Already the biscottis were too sweet as I have mentioned in the My Notes section. So I think using honey might make it even sweeter. What I would do , if I don't have applesauce:
1. Reduce the quantity of sugar to 1/2 cup.
2. Instead of using 6 tablespoons of applesauce, I would replace it with 4 tablespoons of vegetable/canola oil and 2 tablespoons of honey.
3. Also try using all purpose flour itself instead of a combination of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. We did not like the flavor of whole wheat flour in the biscottis.
cherry says
i don't have applesauce. can i use honey instead? or omit it altogether? thanks
sunshinemom says
UMMMMMM! Wish I could have this!
varsha says
hi would like to kno which brand apple sauce to use, i have never used one before..pl do help..i really want to try this out
thanks
Varsha, any brand is fine. I used the store brand (Giant). Use the smooth version. If you are able to find only the chunky, blend it in a mixer before using it. Also bake for the minimum time mentioned in th recipe and then increase the time accordingly, if required. Mine looked as if it needed more time in the oven so I kept extra 5-8 minutes.
Darshana says
Madhu I appreciate your quick response and will try it soon and update the results. Thank you onceagain.
Darshana says
Dear Madhu
Hi, I am excited to find a eggless biscotti recepie. Thanks a ton. Can applesauce be substituted with oil or sugar.
Darshana, the recipe already has just 1.5 tablespoon of oil, so I don't think it's necessary to replace it with applesauce, because it is also one of the ingredients. But I would definitely recommend to cut back on the sugar. It was way too much sweet for our taste.
Hima says
I never had biscotti till today.. so no idea how they taste.. but your eggless version is tempting me to try once..
I am hosting an event called Sunday Snacks, would appreciate if you can come up with something for that event too.. the theme is Bake it.. so might be an apt one for you.. 😉
Sweatha says
Hi Madhu,I have used some of your recipes.I am a regular reader.Please pick up an award from my site.Link:http://tastycurryleaf.blogspot.com/2008/08/strawberry-banana-sorbet-my-first-award.html
Paru says
Looks very delicious..First time here..lovely blog with great recipes..
Dee says
Lovely picture madhu , biscotti and eggless... its a must try... btw can u tell me where did u find the recipe of cracked wheat idli .. can u post it ?
Cheers!
Dee
Roma says
yummy Madhu ! Makes me want to pick one right away!
sia says
recently i have been bitten by baking bug. i am happy to discover eggless biscotti but will follow ur suggestion and use self-raising flour.
and madhu, gorgeous pic...