Is there anything better than when art imitates life, and likewise too when life imitates art? A banana biscotto shaped like a banana, a banana shaped like a banana biscotto. The perfect symmetry of poetic confection writes itself. Inspired by a recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz, this vegan biscotti recipe is basically a really good loaf of your favorite banana bread transformed into a crispy, crunchy oblong cookie. And the simple and easy to make chocolate ganache into which the cookies are dipped really adds another layer of deliciousness, as the rich flavors of melted chocolate compliment the subtle sweet of the banana biscotti. Truly, if you’re looking for a cookie with a crunch and don’t really mind a multi-stepped bake, then you’ve got to give this vegan biscotti recipe a try!
“Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”
– Groucho Marx
A Double-Baked Cookie
This is what give biscotti their signature crunchiness. Double baking the cookie ensures that they’re nice and dry and ready for a dunkin’ in your morning coffee or an afternoon cup of tea, or even a late night cup of plant-based milk.
Don’t let this seemingly convoluted process intimidate you; this vegan biscotti recipe is actually quite easy albeit time-consuming.
1. Bake the initial loaves of biscotti dough. This is the part of the process where you get that nice rise and establish the volume of the bake. Let these cool completely before moving on to the next step.
2. Cut the loaves into the biscotto-shape with a serrated knife. It’s important to use a serrated knife here, so that you can cleanly cut through the loaves without damaging them too much in the process. That way, you’ll have nice and even biscotti.
3. Bake the biscotti again at the same temperature as before (375°F) until golden brown and crispy. In my oven, it took about 20 minutes before they felt dry and sounded dry enough when tapped to remove from the oven. Again, let these cool completely.
4. Make a chocolate ganache, and then dip or slather the ganache over one end of the biscotti. Let the ganache cool until solidified.
Vegan Biscotti Recipe: Ingredients that I Use
Whole-wheat flour & whole-wheat pastry flour
Organic Medium Ground Golden Flaxseed
Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
“Life is full of banana skins. You slip, you carry on.”
– Daphne Guinness
Bananas in Biscotti
It seems counterintuitive to add a naturally wet ingredient like mashed bananas to a bake that ultimately wants a crispy, dry cookie. All I can say to this is: you’re right!
I don’t know if these are the most tooth-crackingly dry biscotti that you’ll ever have, but I do know that they were delicious, and crispy in all the best ways.
Personally, I’ve never liked biscotti that were overly hard. The last time that I remember eating a biscotti, I couldn’t get over the sensation that I was biting into an oblong rock.
This vegan biscotti recipe isn’t like that. The bananas do lend the entire bake itself more relief from overt dryness, and so a softer texture overall. Some may say this isn’t in the spirit of a biscotto, but my teeth and I disagree.
It’s up to you, however, to decide that for yourself!
“My mother always used to say: ‘The older you get, the better you get, unless you’re a banana.”
– Betty White
Care for Another Cookie?
Coconut & Pecan Snowball Cookies
“Never interrupt me when I’m eating a banana.”
– Ryan Stiles
Banana Biscotti Recipe
This vegan biscotti recipe yields gloriously good-looking cookies that can be easily dunked and dipped into anything that you wish. The chocolate pairs perfectly with the banana-y flavor, and the texture of the biscotto is firm without being unfairly solid.
So if you don’t mind the longer process of making a delectable baked goodie such as these banana biscotti, then fire up those ovens and get started!
“On a traffic light green means ‘go’ and yellow means ‘yield’, but on a banana it’s just the opposite. Green means ‘hold on,’ yellow means ‘go ahead,’ and red means, ‘where the hell did you get that banana at?'”
– Mitch Hedberg
Chocolate-Dipped Banana Biscotti
Equipment
- Baking Sheet with Silicon Baking Mat or Parchment Paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Serrated Knife
Ingredients
For the Banana Biscotti
- ¼ cup soy milk, or your favorite plant-based milk
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar, plain brown sugar also works
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour, plus more, if needed
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon whole-wheat pastry flour, plus more, if needed
- 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, or arrowroot powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ heaping cup ripened banana, mashed with a fork
For the Chocolate Dip
- ¾ cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips, like Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
- ½ tablespoon soy milk
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy milk, flaxseed, coconut sugar, olive oil and vanilla extract until smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat pastry flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
- On a plate, mash about 1 ½ – 2 ripe bananas with a fork. You need about a heaping ½ cup of mashed banana for this recipe.
- When the oven is preheated, combine the wet ingredients with the dry, and add the banana as well. Fold the ingredients together until it forms a fairly cohesive dough. It will be sticky – that's ok. Add additional flour in small amounts until you can divide the dough into two equal portions without it sticking too much to your spatula.
- Once the dough is halved, plop each half on one side and the other of the baking mat, and shape them into a decent-sized oval (about 5-inches by 8-inches, roughly). Make sure they are about of equal size.
- Bake the loaves of dough for about 20 – 22 minutes, until they haven risen considerably and sound slightly hallow when tapped. Let the loaves cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheet.
- Remove the two loaves from the baking sheet to a cutting board, and cut 1-inch length-wise cookies with a serrated knife along the oval (with the length of the oval, not across it). You don't have to saw at it like you're cutting down a tree – just press into the dough until you have sectioned off a slice.
- Return the biscotti to the baking sheet, flat-side down, and bake once more on 375°F for 18 – 20 minutes. Flip the biscotti on their other side half way through the bake. Bake until they are crispy and golden brown and dry feeling on the sides. Remove them from the oven, and allow your biscotti to cool completely on cooling racks before dipping in chocolate (~30 minutes or so)
- In a small sauce pan, boil a small quantity of water. Place a small bowl overtop the boiling water, and then the chocolate chips inside the bowl. Once the chocolate has entirely melted, add the soy milk and maple syrup at the same time, and stir vigorously to keep the chocolate from seizing up. Then, remove the chocolate from the heat.
- Dip one end of the biscotti into the chocolate, and use a small knife or spatula to slather it generously over about ⅓ of the cookie. Set the biscotti on a cooling rack to let the chocolate coagulate.
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this vegan biscotti recipe, leave a comment and recipe rating before you go.
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
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