Eggless Vanilla Caramel Biscotti #CreativeCookieExchange

You can tell the end of the school year is nigh around here - coffee breaks and lunch hours at school are no longer simply times for relaxation but important prep and work periods, and the evenings and weekends are spent double checking report cards and the plans for end-of-the-year presentations that are drawing ever nearer. With just over a month until my first year of teaching Montessori draws to a close, I can't help but marvel at the work that my more experienced coworkers have done for years without fail. While I could certainly go for a black eyed coffee and a two-day nap right about now, I can't imagine what the collective feeling of the staff is. Suffice it to say, I'm going to assume coffee and something sweet will be involved.

While the bulk of my coworkers will never turn down chocolate in any form, even I have to admit that we're nearing a saturation point with the assorted mother's day, birthday, thank you and general "have something sweet" goodies that turn up in the staff room. Instead, the last time I had the urge to bake (more out of a need to avoid sitting in front of a computer screen than anything) I took a different tack, whipping up a low-fat, vegan biscotti packed with caramel, vanilla and almond flavour. When I say these are caramel biscotti, I'm not kidding - the rich, bittersweet flavour and colour comes from a full 3/4 cup of vegan caramel sauce married with buttery-yellow, somewhat nutty tasting Kamut® flour. Slivered almonds enhance the hint of almond flavour from the sauce while adding visual and textural contrast. Dunked into a mug of rich, dark roast coffee, the combination of flavours can take you away to that out-of-the-way cafe you never knew existed!

This month's Creative Cookie Exchange theme is Caramel, and by the looks of things we more than have you covered between macarons, brownies, shortbread and everything in between! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links. Please be patient though, as this month Laura is off to Italy and will not be checking email quite as often!

You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes--be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

• Basement Brownies from Sidewalk Shoes
• Camel Milk Caramel Basbousa from Food Lust People Love
• Caramel Cashew Cookies from Our Good Life
• Caramel Coconut Cookies from Basic N Delicious
• Caramel Shortbread Cookie Strips from Magnolia Days
• Caramel Thumbprint Cookies from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
• Caramelized White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies from Baking Yummies
• Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars from The Spiced Life
• Chocolate Caramel Rocks from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Chocolate Walnut Caramel Stuffed Cookies from Noshing with the Nolands
• Eggless Vanilla-Caramel Biscotti from What Smells So Good?
• Millionaire Shortbread Bars from Spiceroots
• Salted Caramel Butter Cookies from SimplyVeggies
• Salted Caramel Macarons from A Baker’s House
• Take 5 Caramel Oatmeal Cookies from 2 Cookin’ Mamas

Eggless Vanilla Caramel Biscotti
Adapted from The Iron You
Makes 14
1 cup flour
1 cup Kamut® flour
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup vegan salted caramel sauce
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, combine flours, flaxseeds, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. Mix together the sugar, caramel sauce and vanilla, then add to the flour mixture.
4. Mix to form a relatively firm dough (a little stiffer than chocolate chip cookies). If it’s too dry, add a little non-dairy milk at a time to get a good consistency.
5. Form the dough into a rectangle about 12” long and 3” wide. Sprinkle with almonds, gently pressing them into the top of the dough.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. Cool for 10 minutes, then move to a cutting board and cut into ½” slices with a serrated knife.
8. Set the slices on the cookie sheet, cut side down, and bake for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the slices and bake 12 minutes longer.
9. Cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring the slices to a cooling rack.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 152.1
Total Fat: 1.4 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 180.8 mg
Total Carbs: 37.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.9 g
Protein: 2.8 g