Walnut Biscotti

These low fat Walnut Biscotti cookies make a great healthy gift or anytime snack.

Pair your healthy biscotti with some yogurt and fresh fruit for an easy healthy breakfast.

To control the texture of your Walnut Biscotti - soft and chewy or dry and crisp - simply adjust how long you bake them.

You may want to experiment first with some test cookies to get them just right according to your own texture preference.

Making biscotti is easier with the right tools and this KitchenAid Stand Mixer is a kitchen workhorse.

Or, you can choose to go the old-fashioned route and use a manual whisk and wooden spoon and give yourself a good little aerobic and upper body workout!

Walnut Biscotti

Be sure to store your cookies in an airtight container where they will last for days and these are also perfect cookies to ship as gifts.

Walnut Biscotti Recipe

3/4 cup walnut halves, toasted
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of salt
3 egg whites or 1/2 cup fat-free, cholesterol-free egg product

Position one of your oven racks in the center of your oven. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray or use a nonstick silicone baking liner.
Place toasted walnuts in food processor or blender. Cover and process, using quick on-and-off motions, until walnuts are the consistency of coarse meal.
In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the ground walnuts and the remaining ingredients, except egg whites.
Stir in egg whites thoroughly until stiff dough forms.
Sprinkle remaining ground walnuts on cutting board or waxed paper.
Divide dough in half and shape each half into a rectangular log, 7x3 inches, and place on top of ground walnuts.
Carefully transfer cookie dough logs onto cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.
Turn slices cut sides down on cookie sheet.
Bake again for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp and browned.
Remove cookies from sheets to wire rack to cool completely.
Store in tightly covered airtight container.

This recipe yields about 2 1/2 dozen Walnut Biscotti

Biscotti Cookie Making Tip:
When the recipe directions call for food-processor on-and-off motions,it is to prevent the mixture from becoming overprocessed. In the case of these walnuts, overprocessing them would turn them into a walnut paste instead of just ground walnuts.

Fig Walnut Biscotti

Fig Walnut Biscotti

Fig Walnut Biscotti Recipe

1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3/4 teaspoon anise seed, chopped
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (from 1 large orange)
1 cup coarsely chopped dried Calimyrna figs (6 ounces)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or use nonstick silicone baking liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together whole-wheat and all-purpose flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and anise.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until they're pale yellow and hold a ribbon for 1 second when whisk is lifted, about 5 minutes.
Whisk orange zest into eggs.
Fold egg mixture into flour mixture until combined.
Fold in figs and chopped walnuts.
Lightly spray parchment-lined baking sheets with cooking spray.
Divide dough in half and shape each half into a log about 2 1/2 inches wide.
Bake logs until dough is firm, but gives a little when pressed, about 25 minutes.
Transfer sheet to wire racks and cool logs for 10 minutes.
Reduce oven to 300F degrees.
Cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices.
Place slices cut sides up on cookie sheet.
Bake again for 7 minutes, then flip biscotti cookies and bake 7 more minutes.
Transfer biscotti from sheets to wire rack to cool completely.
Store in tightly covered airtight container.