Chickpea Flour Biscotti Thins (Vegan, GF, Oil-Free Option)

Chickpea flour biscotti thins with cranberries and almonds are a reliable coffee- or tea-time treat! They are vegan, grain-free, can be made oil-free, and have only 44 calories each.

Grain-Free & Vegan Biscotti Thins

These crispy, crunchy biscotti thins are my new go-to snack. And dessert. And breakfast on the run. They are based on a cookie that I have purchased on multiple occasions–almondina. As much as I like them, I cringe at the price, often more than six or seven dollars for a miniscule package filled with no more than a dozen or so cookies.

So I made my own version.

This version strays from the original in that I used chickpea flour in place of all purpose flour and eggs. It works like a charm! The resulting cookies have lots of nutrition plus great flavor and crunch, all at a fraction of the price of the packaged version (cheap-o me). Love!

Recipe Benefits

• Vegan (dairy-free, egg-free)
• Gluten-free
• Grain-free
• Oil-free option
• Straightforward to make and bake

Ingredients

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post.Toggle betweenUS Customary(volume) andMetric(weights) for preferred measurement option.

• chickpea flour
• coconut sugar (or granulated sugar of choice)
• baking powder
• ground cardamom or cinnamon (optional)
• salt
• nondairy milk
• vegetable oil (see notes for OIL-FREE option)
• almond extract
• whole almonds, coarsely chopped
• dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

Step by Step Directions

Note that the complete instructions are also in the recipe card below.

• Preheat oven to 300F (150C). Grease or spray a 9×5-inch (22.5×12.5 cm) loaf pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom and salt.
• Add the milk, oil and almond extract, stirring until blended and smooth. Stir in the almonds and cranberries.
• Spoon and spread dough into prepared pan.Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely in pan.
• Preheat oven to 180F (90C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Remove cooled loaf to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut loaf crosswise into thin slices (just under 1/4-inch in thickness).
• Arrange slices on and ungreased baking sheetBake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
• Turn off oven and let cookies remain in oven for an additional hour. Cool completely.

Chickpea flour browns more quickly than wheat flour, so this initial bake is at 300F, which allows the initial cookie “loaf” to become quite firm without overbrowning.

Chop Added Dried Fruits or Nuts

I like to give the nuts and dried fruit a rough chop before adding to the dough because it makes the slicing, in phase 2, so much easier.

The advantage of chopping fruits and nuts applies to all biscotti, but especially so with these thin slices (which are slightly less than 1/4-inch in thickness). The knife is less likely to catch on big pieces and leave you with a pile of crumbs. Additionally, a rough chop ensures plenty of crunchy and fruity bits in every slice and bite!

Be sure to let the cookie loaf cool entirely before attempting to slice it. It slices easily with a serrated knife once completely cooled, but (trust me, I was impatient with an earlier batch) it will crumble if you rush things and attempt slicing while still warm-ish. I managed to restrain myself from eating more than a cup of crumbles (even mistakes can double as a satisfying reward :)).

FAQ and Tips

• How should I store the chickpea flour biscotti thins?Store the cookies in an airtight container or tin at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
• How can I make the biscotti thins oil-free?Replace the oil with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of drippy nut butter or seed butter (e.g., almond butter, peanut butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter)
• Loaf pan tip:If your loaf pan is dark metal, I recommend lining it with parchment paper to prevent the cookies from over-browning at the edges during the first bake.
• For the fewest crumbles, chill the baked loaf: If you have the time, consider wrapping and chilling the baked loaf for an hour, or up to a day, before the second bake. A chilled loaf is so much easer to slice, and will produce the fewest crumbles, too.
• Keep the oven on low heat for the 2nd bake: The goal of the second bake is to thoroughly dry out the cookies, so that they will become and remain crisp, without turning to ashes on the baking sheet. Setting the oven to 175F, and baking for an hour, works perfectly. After the hour of baking, turn off the heat and let the cookies remain in the oven for another hour to dry further.

The results are crunchy, lightly sweet and ideal for noshing and nourishing anytime, anywhere.

Happy baking, everyone!

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