Diary Free Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Recently I've gone on a dairy and soy elimination diet - never did I realise it would be so hard!!  Diary and soy are in practically everything, even bread!!  I've been on the hunt for some diary and soy free recipes to satisfy my chocolate cravings - these Hazelnut Chocolate Biscotti sure are a winner!!  

They're the perfect treat to have with a morning coffee and were fairly easy to make too.  I think these will become part of my regular baking rotation!!  

 Because these babies are double baked, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks, and make a great gift.  They'll also be great to have on hand for when friends pop by for coffee!!


I modified the recipe based on this one, from taste.com.  Based on the original recipe, I also added in some coffee (because everything is better with coffee!) and doubled the original amount of cocoa to make them extra chocolatey!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw hazelnuts
• 1 and 2/3 cup plain flower
• 4 tablespoons dutch cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• Finely grated rind of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon espresso coffee disolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water

Method 

Preheat oven to 200C. Roast nuts on an oven tray for 10 minutes or until golden and skins are flaking. Rub well in a clean tea towel to remove skins. Chop coarsely.

Sift flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl. Combine eggs, orange rind, coffee and nuts in a separate bowl. Gradually add egg mixture to dry ingredients, stirring to form a dough. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly then halve. Shape into two 25cm-long logs. Place logs on a baking paper-lined oven tray. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Stand for 5 minutes.

Slice logs diagonally into 5mm-thick slices. Place slices on oven trays and return to oven for 10 minutes or until dry. Cool on a wire rack.