A Healthier Baking Gift by Nicola

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat… and we’re lining our stomachs, preparing for the onslaught of food, drink and chocolate coins. Yum! People can’t seem to get enough of eating over the festive period and most friends, relatives and workmates gratefully receive food gifts with open arms and mouths. It’s easy to devise a more personal edible gift by making homemade treats! Of course, I like to give gifts that are a little bit healthier and are sweet enough, without being full of sugar. My biscotti biscuits are an easy and adaptable option that might give a small respite from the sugar-laden sweets that are around throughout December. They can be popped into a food jar, fancy biscuit tin or just an airtight gift bag with a pretty Christmas ribbon tied in a bow. 

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s easy, fairly quick and only requires a few simple ingredients for the base. Then it’s up to you to choose the flavours for your biscotti! With Christmas coming up I love to add a little festive colour and fragrance to these baked gifts with pistachio nuts, dried cranberries and orange zest- or add some chocolate chips, flaked almonds, sultanas, coffee beans, macadamia nuts, or anything else you fancy, really! 

Perfectly matched with a big mug of tea and a good book, I highly recommend making an extra batch of biscotti for yourself too… after all, it is about sharing…

HEALTHIER BISCOTTI RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

250g of plain flour

130g of ground almonds

1 tsp of baking powder

50g of unrefined cane sugar

3 beaten eggs

100g dried cranberries

100g pistachios

Add the zest of an orange for a little zing if you want to!

METHOD

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°c
2. Line a baking tray with baking parchment
3. Mix together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl
4. Add half of the beaten eggs and slowly begin to stir together
5. Add the rest of the eggs, stir and fold the ingredients together to form a loose dough (add a little more flour if the mixture is too wet)
6. Working quickly, knead the dough for a few minutes
7. Add the pistachios, cranberries and orange zest and knead into the dough by hand
8. Split the dough in two, shape into flat logs on the lined baking tray and bake for 30 minutes
9. Remove from the oven and leave on a cooling rack for 10 minutes
10. Use a bread knife to slice the logs width ways into 2cm wide biscotti biscuits
11. Return the individual biscotti to the baking tray, resting them on their side and return to the oven for 10 minutes
12. Turn each biscotti to bake for another 10 minutes on the other side
13. Leave to cool completely before placing in a jar or container ready to give to a special someone…

Nicola is a writer living in Bristol. You can find her over on her blog www.threadpressed.com, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Find more posts by Nicola here...