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Easy Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

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Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

This post is sponsored by Diamond of California. I was compensated and all opinions are my own.

Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

Biscotti reminds me of my mom. I made my first batch ever with her, so when I make it it brings back memories. 

Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

Isn’t crazy how we make connections with food. How certain flavors and aromas can bring back such vivid thoughts and memories of the past? I think that’s why I love food so much in general…because there is so much more to food than the taste.

Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

I have a few other biscotti recipes on FFF, but I love this one. It’s classic, easy, and has such a great flavor. Not to sweet, but crunchy as ever!

Gluten Free Almond Biscotti
Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

Ingredients for Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

  • almond meal
  • xanthan gum
  • baking powder
  • maple syrup
  • almond extract
  • eggs
  • butter

I was going to make a homemade glaze to top it, but I love the combination of almond and chocolate….so vegan chocolate it is! 

Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

To complete this recipe, I used some beautiful chopped pecans that I got as part of a campaign with Diamonds of California. It gives the biscotti so much character, texture, and even more crunch! 

Gluten Free Almond Biscotti
Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

Gawgeous, eh? 

I love that the little touches can make a recipe (and photo).

I’m sure you’ve seen Diamond of California Nuts around…they have them at Target and if you live in Minneapolis- Lund’s, Cub, and Jerry’s too! 

Gluten Free Almond Biscotti
Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

Man I really don’t want this series to end. I am a sweet kind of girl when it comes to sweet or salty. Always have been and I’m sure I always will be!

See more healthy recipes

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Easy Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

Easy Gluten Free Almond Biscotti

  • Author: Lee Hersh
  • Total Time: 1 hours 30 minutes
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup almond meal (I used the Trader Joe’s brand)
  • 1.5 cups gluten free flour blend
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or another liquid sweetener)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 eggs, large
  • 2 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil)
  • Toppings: Diamond of California Pecans and dark chocolate

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300F and place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
  2. In a medium size bowl, using a hand mixer, mix together all wet ingredients.
  3. Then, add dry ingredients and mix again. You will want the texture of the batter to be like cookie dough, not too sticky though! Malleable enough so that you can kneed it.
  4. Break dough into 2 equal parts and create two logs about 12 inches long x 3 inches wide. My logs were about a finger high. Make sense? 🙂
  5. Bake logs at 300F for ~25 minutes then let cool for 10 minutes.
  6. At a 45 degree angle, cut your pieces of biscotti. I cut about 10 biscotti out of each log.
  7.  Even spread biscotti on baking sheet and bake at 300F for 10 minutes. Then, flip biscotti over and bake for another 10 minutes.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Peanut Butter Protein Bars

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Peanut Butter Protein Bars

With just a few simple ingredients you can make protein bars in your own kitchen that have 13g protein in each bar!

With just a few simple ingredients you can make protein bars in your own kitchen that have 13g protein in each bar!

This is one of those recipes that just got slung across my content calendar with no respect. Poor guy has gotten pushed back like 14 times. WELL FOLKS- it’s here and I’ve made these like 142 times already.

I say made THESE 142 times, but the last 140 times I actually turned them into balls. Why balls? Because they’re the best And smaller in portion size! I gave this recipe to Mama Hersh to make and she loved them too. I mean, why wouldn’t she?

I tested this with a few different peanut butters (all drippy): Smuckers All Natural Peanut Butter, Trader Joe’s Creamy Peanut Butter, and Kirkland Peanut Butter. The reason I wanted to specify is because drippy peanut butter is the shit and the key to success when making this recipe.

With just a few simple ingredients you can make protein bars in your own kitchen that have 13g protein in each bar!

I say this almost every week but…

PLEASE INVEST IN A GOOD FOOD PROCESSOR. YOUR LIFE WILL BE CHANGED. YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE. AND MAYBE MARRY AN INANIMATE OBJECT.

Just do it and don’t ask questions.

With just a few simple ingredients you can make protein bars in your own kitchen that have 13g protein in each bar!

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Protein Bars

  • rolled oats
  • medjool dates, pitted
  • peanut butter
  • honey
  • vanilla extract
  • vanilla protein powder
  • pinch of salt

Let’s talk protein powder really quick. I like many different kinds of protein powder, but if I had the choice…I’d choose whey every time. I love the texture and the taste best out of the hundreds (yes, hundreds) I’ve tried. My good friends at Designer Protein sent me a GIANT delivery of protein powder. Like…I don’t think I will run out of protein powder for the next 100 years. In this recipe I used their Designer Whey French Vanilla. It’s my favorite! You could totally sub out for any whey flavor (chocolate would be delish).

I do want to note…that I have NOT tried this recipe with any other kind of protein powder such as plant-based, soy, pea, etc!

With just a few simple ingredients you can make protein bars in your own kitchen that have 13g protein in each bar!
With just a few simple ingredients you can make protein bars in your own kitchen that have 13g protein in each bar!

I stored these guys in individual plastic baggies in the freezer. They’re an easy grab and go snack or meal replacement. If you keep them in the freezer, they will stay longer. Just a little tippy tip!

Happppppppy Friday!

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Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Peanut Butter Protein Bars

  • Author: Lee Hersh
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
Print Recipe
Save Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 10 medjool dates, pitted
  • 1 cup peanut butter, drippy
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (usually two scoops)
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Spray an 9×9-inch cake pan with coconut oil cooking spray or line with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Place rolled oats in a high speed food processor (I use a Ninja). Process on high for about 30 seconds or until you’ve turned your oats into an oat flour.
  3. Add in the rest of the ingredients to your food processor and process on high for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping often to scrape the sides. You’ll want to make sure you use a drippy peanut butter for this recipe (Trader Joe’s or Kirland brands are the best). At this point the dough should be similar to cookie dough.
  4. Using your hands, press the dough into the cake pan. Then, use a spatula to make it smooth and even all the way around.
  5. Pop the cake pan into the freezer for about 30 minutes to set. Remove and then cut into 10 bars with a sharp knife.

Notes

You can also make these bars into balls for an easier recipe and smaller serving size! It will make around 25 1 tablespoon-sized balls.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 342
  • Sugar: 30
  • Fat: 14
  • Carbohydrates: 17
  • Protein: 13

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Vegan Morning Glory Muffins

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To me, nothing sounds more perfect than spending a weekend morning at a local cafe and dining on a delicious, hearty muffin alongside a piping hot latte.

But what can I say, I’m a dreamer. And because I live in a fairytale baking land, I make muffins all day long with a wooden spoon in my hand and a flour-coated apron as my dress. And although my muffins don’t grant me magical powers, they’re such a healthy, succulent snack that I can’t help but try new recipes when they come along, like this one.

Usually when I come across a recipe, if it has more than 10 ingredients I bail. Call me discriminant. I prefer minimalist. I just don’t like complicated things. I like to keep my baking as simple and healthy as possible.

If it has more than 1/2 a stick of butter or 1 cup of sugar, the deal’s off. Unless, of course, I can health-ify it, which is what I did with this one. You see all this fruit and vegetable goodness below? Would you like it to be in your muffin? I can do that for you. Yes, yes I can. Come now, I’ll show you how.

I modified this recipe quite a bit and amped up the fruit and veggie count. And guess what? They still turned out amazingly delicious. I must say, I’m proud of these little guys – in all their vegan glory.

Vegan Morning Glory Muffins

INGREDIENTS
3 flax eggs [3 T flaxseed meal + 6.5 T water]
1/2 c applesauce
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 T vanilla extract
1 banana, mashed
1/3 to 1/2 c brown sugar

2 c flour *
1 T ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

2 carrots, grated
1 apple, peeled & grated
1/3 c raisins [optional]
2 T chopped pecans

* in any combination. I used 1 c whole wheat, 1/2 c all purpose & 1/4 c coconut flour, which is very absorbent.

METHOD
Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare muffin tins with paper liners.
In a medium bowl whisk flax eggs, applesauce, banana, oil, brown sugar and vanilla.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the carrots, apples, raisins, walnuts and coconut into the flour mixture to coat.
Combine both mixtures in the larger bowl. If too dry, add a splash of almond  or soy milk.
Spoon into the muffin tins, filling totally full [or 3/4 if you prefer a smaller portion].
Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden and a knife comes out clean.

Makes about 20 muffins.

20 of these little guys! Weeeeeeee!

I sampled one fresh out of the oven and was thoroughly pleased. And I took another obligatory ‘sample’ the next morning to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. I wasn’t.

The texture is moist and hearty, and the flavor is reminiscent of carrot cake. But don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a muffin for pansies. It’s a muffin for men. Men, and fiber-loving, butt-kicking women alike. Any takers?

So far I’ve only tried these plain and they were magnifique. But warming them up with a little butter and drizzle of honey sounds like a good idea to me. Or if you’re going the ‘defeat the whole health purpose’ route, top it with some cream cheese frosting. That’ll mess the whole thing up in no time! [thumbs up!]

But really, any way you slice it these are great. With tons of sweet carrot, apple and raisin flavor and a little crunch from the pecans, they sing fall with a hearty punch. I’ve already popped them in my freezer to grab as an on-the-go snack, which means I’ll likely be eating them morning, noon and night. Shhhhhhh.

What? Thanksgiving breakfast option? Who said that? Oh yeah, it was me. I’m plugging my own muffins. Get the hint?

Enjoy!

PB&J Oatcakes

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Allow me to introduce you to two of my very best friends: PB and J.

They’re besties, kinda like PB and banana. Except these two go wayyyyy back, which makes them old school besties.
They play well together, especially on top toast, bread, inside of cupcakes and more recently, on pancakes.

Awww, how cute.

I was inspired to make these pancakes after recently smearing melty PB and J on toast and falling back in love with my childhood favorite all over again.

The base of the batter is actual oatmeal, which makes them a slightly more dense, rustic pancake.
Plus, there’s no butter or oil and they’re completely vegan. So it’s more like a plus, plus, plus.

This isn’t your ‘might pass off as birthday cake’ pancake.
This is your ‘I really want cake for breakfast but still want to feel semi-healthy’ pancake.
Make sense? I sure hope so.
Because I wouldn’t want you to miss out on this fat stack of pancake bliss.

There is a touch of peanut butter in the batter, but then I went and added a generous helping on top, too.
I mean, do I really have to explian myself here?
Is more peanut butter ever really a bad thing?
No. Let me answer that. No, it’s not.

PB & J Oatcakes
vegan | makes 10 medium pancakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup non-dairy milk [like almond or soy]
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons sugar

Topping
2 Tablespoons each natural peanut butter and jelly

Method | Preheat griddle to medium-high heat [about 350 degrees]. Prepare oatmeal by combinging oats and boiling water in a bowl. Cover and let set for 5 minutes. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add remaining wet ingredients to oatmeal, including PB, and mix. Add wet to dry and stir until just combined. Scoop onto lightly greased griddle in 1/4 cup measurements. These take a bit longer to cook than traditional pancakes since the oatmeal gives them a lot of moisture – about 2-3 minutes each side. Top with melted PB and J. Dig in!

Holy cow! I mean, could anything really be less than marvelous with pb and j melted on top?
I think not.

Although they didn’t come out as puffy as I’d originally imagined, they were incredibly delicious.
The oatmeal gave them a moist and hearty texture. They aren’t overly sweet. And the PB&J is just phenomenal on top. Makes me forget maple syrup ever existed.

I simply couldn’t dig into these without slicing some banana on top first.
It just wouldn’t have been right. And I was totally right.

Banana takes these from an A to an A+.
Or an A+++, depending on how generous of a teacher you are.
And I for one am a very generous teacher.

That’s a good pancake. A very, very good pancake.

And now onto spelling. Class?

D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. Delicious.
A +++++++++++++ for all!

Enjoy! : )

Popped Amaranth Peanut Butter Cups

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Last winter I found out from Ashley that you can pop amaranth grain. Best discovery ever. At first, I was limited to merely eating it as cereal – ha, so juvenile. But then, my pea brain finally started clicking and I realized how I could use amaranth in other, more decadent ways. Like adding it to dessert!

First things first, are you familiar with amaranth? I’m no expert but I do know it’s a grain that’s very high in protein and gluten free. You can cook it several different ways, but my favorite thus far has been popping. Like popcorn. Yes, it’s the funnest thing you’ll ever do. Yes, I said funnest.

When done properly it comes out looking like puffed rice cereal, which can then be doused in milk, eaten by the handfuls or added to rich, decadent peanut butter cups. Pretty sweet, right?

I thought so.

Popped Amaranth Peanut Butter Cups
yields 12 large cups

Ingredients
1 cup all natural peanut butter {I used crunchy}
2 T butter, melted*
1/2 c powdered sugar*
1/2 c crushed salted roasted peanuts
heaping 1/2 c popped amaranth*
3/4 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method |  Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add in powdered sugar and peanuts, then mix until combined. Pour in popped amaranth and mix again until combined. Next, grease muffin cups with non-stick spray and fill bottom of cups with chocolate chips – it doesn’t have to be exact. Melt in the oven for 5 minutes. Then, with the back of a metal spoon carefully smooth out the top of the chips while they’re still warm. Next, drop generous spoonfuls of the peanut butter mixture into each muffin cup. Smooth tops with the back of a spoon or your fingers and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before eating. I froze mine so they’d pop out easier with a knife. Store in an airtight container in the fridge to keep fresh.

*Notes:

  • To pop amaranth, place a medium-to-large pot over medium-high heat and let it get fully hot. Then, add small batches {scant 1/4 c} of amaranth, cover the pot, and quickly shimmy the pot back and forth. They’ll start popping almost immediately and as soon as you don’t see anymore popping {about 10-15 seconds total} quickly transfer them to a bowl. These can burn quick so be sure to work fast. Your first batch may not turn out but use it as a practice run to gage how you can pop most efficiently.
  • Melted butter is probably optional if you want to lighten these up. Or you could likely sub melted coconut oil.
  • Powdered sugar could be lessened or even omitted entirely if you want a less sweet cup. Just compensate with extra amaranth.
  • Use non-dairy chocolate chips and Earth Balance to make these vegan.

Oh my dear these are good! They’re everything a peanut butter cup should be, but with a little extra crunch from the peanuts and amaranth. And the chocolate bottoms give them an extra decadent touch.

The flavor is astonishingly similar to Reese’s PB Cups. If you wanted you could even add another layer of chocolate on top to get them closer to the real thing. But I preferred the peanut butter tops exposed. It gave them a more rustic look and I could taste the saltiness from the peanuts as soon as they hit my mouth.

I’ve somehow managed to not eat the entire batch yet. Somehow.

Ooh, this reminds me. I need to try eating my next one upside down.

Enjoy!

Amaranth Oat Griddlecakes

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Let’s see, where do I start this story…?

When I first discovered The Edible Perspective a few months ago I became instantly intrigued. Ashley has so many things going for her that I just adore. She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. She’s always experimenting with new and healthy foods. She went on a detox from just about every potential allergen you can imagine and STILL ended up creating amazing things in her kitchen.

Needless to say, a couple posts in I was hooked and I’m still a loyal follower today.

  • A couple months ago when she posted her recipe for Puffed Amaranth Cereal, I was fascinated and went straight to the health food store to pick up some amaranth grain. I honestly knew nothing about it before I did a little research and found out its nutritional benefits. Check them out here if you’d like.

I tried puffed amaranth cereal and really liked it. I especially took note of how filling it was as I didn’t feel hunger pangs for hours after having one small bowl with a little milk. Amazing, right?

Well, in saying all of that, there are 2 reasons why this post came to be.

1. I had a lot of amaranth grain left over from cereal experimentation that I’ve been wanting to use up.

And 2. I found a griddlecakes recipe in a binder gifted to me at my bridal shower and it looked too good not to try.

So, I got a little creative, subbed amaranth flour for WW flour, and slimmed the recipe down to make a little more than one serving – perfect for me and a little leftover for another meal.

Amaranth & Oat Griddlecakes

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine’s Griddle Cakes [March 2005 issue]
serves 1 + a little extra

Ingredients:

1/3 cup amaranth flour [ground from amaranth grain]
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk [or sub skim milk + 1Tbsp. lemon juice]
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 Tbsp. canola oil [or sub other oil, like coconut]

Instructions: Preheat griddle to low-medium heat. Whisk together dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, then combine. If batter is too dry or wet, add amaranth and oats or buttermilk to compensate. Scoop 1/4 cup measurements onto griddle and cook until bubbles form on top and texture appears almost dry [about 4-5 minutes]. Then flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Serve with desired toppings. The original recipe suggested marmalade and clotted cream. I went for something less fancy…

Did you think I was going to eat pancakes without putting peanut butter, banana and honey on top? Yeah, nice try. I don’t think so.

My first-run experiment turned out so well! I can honestly say that I couldn’t tell a real difference in the texture or taste compared to regular pancakes, which I was very pleased with.

I hope you enjoy these if you give them a try. I will certainly be giving them another go – maybe next time with coconut or blueberries. We’ll see how adventurous I feel : )

Happy pancaking!

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