Salted Chocolate Biscotti - Gluten Free, Eggless

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My salted chocolate biscotti without eggs is crunchy on the outside with a bit of softness on the inside, and pairs SO perfectly with a cup of coffee.

I've always been a biscotti lover. You probably know by now that I'm a huge fan of soft and cakey cookies, but there's just something about biscotti that I simply can't resist.

I had never tried to make biscotti from scratch, so when I set out to develop a gluten free biscotti recipe (not to mention eggless), I was genuinely curious to see what my end result would be. Thankfully, this one's a winner! I may or may not have had a couple of them, one after another.

I learned in my research that biscotti means "twice baked." Yes, we will be baking these delicious cookies twice -- first as one big rectangular log, and then, after slicing, you'll bake again just for a bit to get that perfect crunch.

Speaking of which, my salted chocolate biscotti is crunchy but not in a chip-your-tooth kind of way. They have a bit of a soft and tender center which maybe is not like other biscotti you've tried... but I'm not claiming that this is a truly "authentic" recipe. For one thing, traditional biscotti calls for eggs... and you know my biscotti is made without eggs 🙂

And another thing I learned in my research is that there is a difference between Italian biscotti and American biscotti (which is what mine is). Apparently Italian biscotti is much crunchier, making it extra good dipped in coffee or tea, while American biscotti tends to be softer. So there you have it!

Why You'll Love This Salted Chocolate Biscotti...

• It's worth mentioning again that the texture is simply perfect. No one wants a super hard or dry cookie, and this gluten free biscotti is far from it.
• It's a super simple process and made in one bowl. You don't even need a mixer for this one!
• It's a flexible recipe, meaning you can try using this recipe as a base and mixing in your own add-ins.

What You'll Need...

• The dry ingredients: flour + baking powder + salt.
• The flavor: I like using brown sugar in this recipe for both its caramel-like flavor and the texture it lends to the biscotti. Plus a splash of vanilla extract because, yum.
• The fat: I'm using a bit of unsalted butter AND canola oil. Without the oil, I found the dough to be too dry for my liking.
• Replace eggs with: unsweetened applesauce!
• Top it off with: a perfectly imperfect drizzle of melted chocolate (milk or dark, take your pick) and a pinch of sea salt.

How To Make Gluten Free Biscotti From Scratch...

To make biscotti without eggs, in a large bowl, mix your dry ingredients (including the brown sugar) together. Add in cubes of cold, unsalted butter and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture. If you don't have a pastry blender, you should also be able to do this using two butter knives or even just your clean hands. The resulting texture should be crumby, and you will likely have pea-sized bits of butter still in your mixture. That's a good thing!

Next, add the applesauce, vanilla extract, and canola oil and stir until it all comes together. The dough shouldn't be overly sticky or wet. If you need to, gently knead the dough with your hands just a bit to bring it all together.

Place the dough onto a lined baking sheet and use your hands to form it into a large, rectangular log. Flatten the log slightly with your hands so that it's about 3/4 in. thick.

Bake on 350ºF for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes. You will want it to be cool enough so that it doesn't fall apart when you are slicing, but not too cool to where it hardens. Make sense?

Slice diagonally into individual pieces, then flip each piece onto its side and pop back into the oven for another 12 minutes. Remove, flip each piece, then back in the oven for another 8 minutes.

Allow the biscotti to cool on the baking sheet completely before drizzling with melted chocolate and topping with a pinch of sea salt. Once the chocolate has set, pour yourself a big mug of coffee and enjoy!

Did you make my salted chocolate biscotti? Tag me on Instagram @justastastyblog and #justastastyblog!