Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Carrot Cake Biscotti #CreativeCookieExchange

Season's Greetings! Now that we're in the home stretch before the hullaballoo that is Christmas Day, I've been spending days and days packaging up all my gift boxes for friends and family. Of course, being part of a stepfamily that is born and bred Italian, one of the cookies that always finds it's way into the arsenal is biscotti. Like years before, I try to make a variety of more "unusual" flavours, and one of them is an echo of one of my favourite desserts - carrot cake!

The original recipe comes from Colleen of Souffle Bombay - and I must default to her should you be searching for photos of the finished cookies, as I packaged mine up  before remembering to take a photo! However, I can vouch that they look - and smell - fantastic and very much like their namesake. I did make a few changes to the original so that all my guests could enjoy them - namely making the cookies nut free and vegan - but you'd never be able to tell. The chopped raisins add a delicate, fruity sweetness less intense than dates, while the whole wheat flour and oats add a hint of nuttiness that blends perfectly with the spices. Aquafaba (chickpea brine) replaced the eggs and canola oil stood in for the butter, making the batter delicious (and taste-testable!). In place of a glaze or icing (because let's face it I'd never remember to do that) I topped the logs with coarse sugar before baking, lending them a subtle crunch and crust.

Of course, one of the great things about biscotti - any biscotti - is that it lasts a good long while in a tin or sealed bag. The rest of the #CreativeCookieExcange group this month has also come up with some ingenious bake now, serve later options for the holiday tables that I plan on trying out in the new year, since there is always a good reason for cookies!

The #CreativeCookieExchange is baking Cookies That Last in a Tin this month, and we’d love for you to join us!


You can also 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 here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! 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.

Almond Flour Sugar Cookies from A Baker's House
Carrot Cake Biscotti from What Smells so Good?
Cinnamon Chocolate Shortbread from Food Lust People Love
Mexican Chocolate Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Oatmeal Lace Cookies from The Spiced Life


Carrot Cake Biscotti
Makes 24
8 oz carrots, coarsely grated
2/3 cup raisins, soaked in hot water and drained
¼ cup rolled oats
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup aquafaba
3½ cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp coarse sugar, for topping
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone.
  2. In a food processor, pulse carrots, raisins and oats until minced.
  3. Pulse in oil, sugars, and aquafaba until well combined.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until fully incorporated.
  5. The batter will be a bit sticky, that's fine.
  6. Divide dough in half and shape each half on the lined sheets into a long log, about 12". Flatten slightly.
  7. Sprinkle each log with coarse sugar.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  9. Cool 10 minutes, then cut crosswise into 1/2" slices, placing cut side down on the sheets.
  10. Lower oven temp to 325F and bake slices for 10 minutes per side.
  11. Turn off the oven and let the cookies sit inside for 30 minutes with the door slightly ajar.
  12. Transfer to wire racks to completely cool.

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