A Book Plus : Chai Spice Biscotti : Low Carb and Gluten Free

When out and about Eddie and I do enjoy looking around Book Shops. There are quite a few around, some more modern than others ... and some that can be a treasure trove of great older books. We also have an Oxfam Book shop nearby, which is just chock-a-block with good second hand books and of course every purchase goes to a good cause. A little while back Eddie got a book about 'Berlin, the downfall 1945' written by Anthony Beevor - he loves Historical writing - and I acquired a paperback book 'The Doorstep Girls' written by Val Wood. Set some years ago - it tells the story of Ruby and Grace, friends since early childhood... and well I'm going to have to read it to discover their story! 

I happened to see the recipe for Chai Spice Biscotti and had a thought!
Cuppa, Biscotti, and book ... now what a good idea.

Ingredients:-
Biscotti:
2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup Stevia in the Raw
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp xanthan gum *
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Glaze:
1/4 cup powdered erythritol
1 tbsp strong brewed tea

Method:-

1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, Stevia in the Raw, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and xanthan gum. In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter, egg, vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir vigorously until dough comes together.
3. Turn dough out onto baking sheet and form into low, flat log, 10 x 4 inches. Bake 22 to 24 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250F.
4. With a sharp knife, gently cut into 15 even slices. Place slices back onto baking sheet cut-side down and bake for 15 minutes, then flip each slice and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Turn off oven and let sit inside until cool.

For the glaze, whisk together the powdered erythritol and the tea until smooth. Drizzle over cooled biscotti and let set.

One small note. The glaze on these biscotti is almost purely decorative. It doesn’t really add or detract from the flavour, it’s just to make them a little more visually interesting. So you can leave it out, if you wish to.

* Another small note. If xanthan gum bothers your stomach, you could actually skip the xanthan altogether and just cut them VERY gently when you take them out of the oven the first time. Be sure to let the log cool for 30 minutes or so first.

Serves 15. Each biscotti has a total of 5g of carbs and 2g of fiber.

... Ah time to sit down later with a cuppa, a biscotti and book !

Recipe idea and photo's from Carolyn here

Are you reading a good book at the moment?

All the best Jan