Vanilla bean biscotti

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty pumped for November. Sure, soccer season (the best season of the year) may be over, and the days may be getting darker and colder and drearier as we speak, and it may start getting snowy here and there (never mind that last week it snowed for like 5 minutes in the middle of the day—now that was weird as hell)—but we’re New Englanders. We’re used to those annual tragedies.

First and foremost, November is NaNoWriMo time, and I’ve never been more excited or better-prepared. Really going to push myself this time.

Secondly, if you’ve been on the internet at any time in the past week, you’ve probably heard something about a certain British singer-songwriter named Adele and her new forthcoming album entitled 25. Yeah. November 20, folks. It’s gonna be lit.

And about “Hello”? I obviously cried. I was the biggest Adele fangirl back in the day, and now that she’s back with some brand-spanking-new music that’s better than I could have ever hoped for...what else am I gonna do but weep to the sound of Adele lamenting another long-lost lover?

For the other Hunger Games fangirls out there—Mockingjay Part II is out sometime in November as well. Me and the homies are all huge Katniss fans, so you can bet we’ll be watching the shit out of that.

And, as always, Thanksgiving will do its job of sprucing up the otherwise lackluster month of November with some good old ‘Murica-style feasting and pumpkin pie-eating (I’ll save the football-watching for those who actually appreciate it). I’m thinking of making actual pumpkin pie this year, as opposed to pumpkin pie cheesecake bars—or maybe something more unique, like acorn squash pie. How’s that sound? Acorn squash pie? What if I decorated it with actual acorns? Hmm...

In the meantime, let’s talk about these biscottis.

How to eat biscotti: a guide.

I made these a loooooong time ago, as indicated by the outdoorsy pictures showing a green lawn free of leaves or dead grass. Alas, no more. Or maybe not alas, depending on how you feel about fall.

Okay let's talk about cookies now.

Biscotti really are one of my favorite kinds of cookie, mostly because they are so breakfast- and snack-friendly. Grab a cup of coffee with your biscotti, and no one can criticize you for eating dessert for breakfast. Not to mention, they aren’t exactly the sweetest cookie ever. This vanilla bean variation, taken straight out of Pure Vanilla by Shauna Server, is perfect for such purposes, being subtly vanilla flavored and studded with chunks of nuts, all wrapped in a crunchy crust perfect for dunking in coffee.

As an egg replacer, the applesauce actually works perfectly in these. You can’t taste the apple flavor at all. I swear. I told la familia that there was applesauce in here, and they could hardly believe it. The texture is spot-on, too, so there’s no reason to believe that there aren’t any eggs in here. Amazing, isn’t it?

Anyway, I’m done talking for today. Here’s the recipe.

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Vanilla bean biscotti

Adapted from Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever

Ingredients

340 grams • all-purpose flour • 2 ½ cups

4 grams • baking powder • 1 teaspoon

1 gram • baking soda • ¼ teaspoon

3 grams • salt • ½ teaspoon

56 grams • vegan butter, at room temperature • ¼ cup

12 grams • vanilla paste • 1 tablespoon

200 grams • granulated sugar • 1 cup

158 grams • unsweetened applesauce • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons       

92 grams • almonds, roughly chopped • 1 cup

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together vegan butter and vanilla paste until creamy. Add sugar and cream until light in texture, about 2 minutes. Add applesauce and beat well to combine. Reduce mixer speed to low and spoon in flour mixture; mix just until a smooth dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. With floured hands, shape each half into a 7 x 3 inch rectangle. Transfer rectangles to prepared baking sheets and arrange so they are parallel. Bake for 30 minutes, until dough is firm but gives when pressed lightly in the center. Let cool in sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool for another 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F. Cut rectangles into slices about half an inch thick each. Arrange slices on baking sheet and bake for another 30. Bake until dry, firm, and crisp all over. Rotate sheet halfway through baking to ensure even drying. Transfer biscottis to a wire rack to cool completely.

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That plate is all mine.

For more delicious vegan cookie recipes, click the following links (you know you want to).

Chewy Anzac cookies. An Australian classic.

Confetti biscotti. Every bit as sophisticated as these vanilla bean ones.

Raspberry rugelach. Fresh raspberries all up in these cookies.

Chocolate chip cookie for one. Dangerously easy.