Vegan Chocolate and Hazelnut Biscotti

Vegan Chocolate and Hazelnut Biscotti

Yields: about 1 dozen biscotti

• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp Frangelico liqueur
• 1/8 heaping tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp hazelnut praline paste (or substitute chocolate-hazelnut spread or hazelnut butter)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Put hazelnuts on a sheet pan and lightly toast in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove hazelnuts and reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Allow nuts to cool completely before using.

Sift together bread flour, cocoa powder and baking soda and set aside.

Drain liquid from chickpeas (aquafaba) and measure 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon. Reserve chickpeas and any remaining liquid for another use.

Add aquafaba to the bowl of a stand mixer and using whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all sugar is fully incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.

Stop mixer, remove the whisk attachment and replace it with the paddle attachment. Turn on mixer at lowest speed. Add Frangelico, vanilla extract and salt to the mixer bowl, mixing until just combined with aquafaba meringue.

Add sifted dry ingredients (bread flour, cocoa powder and baking soda), continuing to mix on lowest speed until dough comes together. Keeping mixer on lowest speed, add hazelnuts and praline paste (or chocolate-hazelnut spread or hazelnut butter, if substituting). Mix just until both ingredients are incorporated into the dough.

Turn off mixer and scrape dough out onto a lightly floured board. Shape into a log, approximately 12 inches long and 3 inches wide.

Place log onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake on center rack of oven for 15 minutes. Rotate sheet pan and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove biscotti from oven, leave on sheet pan to cool for 20 minutes. Do not turn off the oven.

When biscotti log is cool, slide it off the sheet pan onto a cutting board. Have a parchment-lined sheet pan nearby. With a serrated knife, diagonally slice 1/2-inch-thick pieces of biscotti, placing each piece cut side down on the sheet pan. Bake biscotti for 6 to 8 minutes, until crisp on top. Test for crispiness by pressing on biscotti with your finger. Use tongs to turn over each cookie, then bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, until crisp. Cool on a rack before serving.