Double Chocolate Mocha Biscotti (gluten-free)

I made these cookies over the weekend to take to a friend we were visiting for dinner. I was looking for something quick, tasty, and made with almond flour (for my husband). I found these on Elana's Pantry. They fulfilled all the above requirements, plus delicious and super easy. These little biscotti are sturdy with a nice texture, heft and crunch - these are no delicate wallflower cookies. They will definitely stand up to dunking!

Quick ingredient note: I didn't have cacao powder so I used cocoa powder. I also didn't have arrowroot powder, but cornstarch can be substituted. I used regular coffee (freshly ground, of course!), and sea salt from Slovenia (brought back from our 2015 trip) but I'm sure any good quality sea salt can be used.

Unfortunately, dinner was rescheduled but the cookies were already made so we'll just have to suck it up and eat them ourselves! ;-)

Double Chocolate Mocha Biscotti (print version)

Serves: 14 biscotti

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups blanched almond flour
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon organic decaf coffee, espresso grind
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup chocolate chunks

Instructions

1. In a food processor, combine almond flour, cacao powder, arrowroot powder, ground coffee, salt and baking soda
2. Pulse until ingredients are well combined
3. Pulse in honey until the dough forms a ball
4. Remove dough from food processor and work in dark chocolate with your hands
5. Form dough into 2 logs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
6. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes, then remove from oven and cool for 1 hour
7. Cut the logs into ½ inch slices on the diagonal with a very sharp knife
8. Spread slices out on a baking sheet and bake at 300° for 12-15 minutes
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool, set, and become crispy

Gingerbread Pound Cake

During these long, dark, cold winter days you need a little warmth and comfort to get you through to spring. At least I do. And for me, comfort food equals cake. Not just any cake. I need a coffee cake-type cake. It needs to evoke memories of years ago when my Mom would bake her cream cheese pound cake, or sour cream coffee cake, and friends would come over for "coffee and." It didn't involve any fancy cooking or pretense. It was just coffee, cake, good friends, and conversation. Does anybody besides me remember this quaint, old-fashioned custom? God, I miss it. Nobody drops by, nor do we invite anybody, for "coffee and." We're all too busy living our busy lives.

So last week post-blizzard, and feeling like my cat desperately trying to stay warm (cute, isn't he?), I rummaged around in my files for just the right cake. I could have made the cream cheese pound cake, or any one of a dozen of my Mom's recipes, but I wanted something new. And I found it in the Brown Eyed Baker's Gingerbread Pound Cake. It had all the right stuff - cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, sour cream, molasses, and brown sugar. And it had that great pound cake texture I was looking for. 

It did not disappoint. The house smelled wonderful and the taste was perfect, just gingerbread-y enough, not overpowering. 

Do yourself a favor. Make this cake, then invite some people you really like for "coffee and." I will be doing just that!

Eat well, stay warm, be happy.

http://www.browneyedbaker.com/gingerbread-pound-cake/