Sesame Almond Biscotti Thins

Sesame Almond Biscotti Thins

Last spring, my friend and I decided we'd start sketching outdoors from time to time. We live in a really beautiful area near a river with lots of great spots to set up, relax and draw. One sunny day, we met in a shady spot near the water with our bagged lunches and our sketchbooks. I had stuck a package of Almondina cookies in my bag for "dessert." As we sat, and talked and drew and nibbled and talked and nibbled and nibbled, I realized we'd polished off the entire package (not hard to do!). They are crazy delicious!

Almondina are super thin, crunchy biscotti-like cookies chock full of nuts, seeds and fruit. Paired with a hot cup of coffee or tea, they become complete. As delicious as they taste, they are quite a guilt free cookie - except for when you eat twelve of them at once! They are made with whole wheat flour, barley flour, egg whites, no added fat and they are low in sugar.

I had saved the package of my Almondina cookies and using the list of ingredients, I've been trying to recreate something similar. I think these are quite comparable. Judging by the number of cookies I ate "testing" them, I'd have to say they are actually pretty much amazing.

Sesame Almond Biscotti Thins

3/4 C. whole wheat flour

1/2 C. barley flour

1/4 t. salt

1 C. whole almonds

1/2 C. sesame seeds

1/2 C. golden raisins

4 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 C. sugar

2 t. pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to  300 degrees. Line a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the whole wheat flour, barley flour and salt together. Stir in the almonds, sesame seeds and raisins.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. I like to do it by hand, but you can use a mixer if you'd like. Once you've reach soft peaks, add the sugar in small amounts whisking in between until all of the sugar is incorporated. Whisk in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture slowly and with a large spoon or rubber spatula, fold the egg white mixture into the flour mixture. Do not over-mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes.

Remove from oven. Raise oven heat to 425 degrees. Place pan on a rack to cool slightly for about 10 minutes.

Lift the loaf out of the pan with the parchment. It should still be warm, but cool enough to handle, if not, wait about five more minutes. On a cutting board, using your sharpest serrated knife, begin to cut the loaf into 1/8" slices. Arrange slices on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake the thins for 4 minutes. Remove them from the oven and flip each one over. Return them to the oven and bake for an additional 3 minutes.

Cool the thins completely on a cooling rack.  

Meanwhile, prepare a pot of coffee. Find your favorite mug. Grab a good book, a handful of biscotti thins, relax and enjoy!

Notes:

• You can experiment with your own combinations of nuts, seeds and dried fruits. The possibilities are endless. Just keep the proportions the same.