Whole wheat walnut-raisin biscotti recipe

When my friends Donna (Just One Donna) and Stacy (Get Up Off the Couch) came for a day of work-related brainstorming, I took the opportunity to road test some recipe ideas for our lunch. After all, who better to suffer your kitchen experiments than fellow bloggers? A nice quiche, green salad, and molasses spice cookies followed a morning snack of walnut-raisin biscotti. Made with white whole wheat flour and not much sugar, these healthier cookies get their sweetness from golden raisins, which also keeps them just moist enough. We were so deep in conversation that we forgot to dunk, but the next morning I slid a leftover biscotto into my coffee, the perfect way to start the day.

Whole wheat walnut-raisin biscotti

From the pantry, you'll need: white whole wheat flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, walnuts, raisins, eggs, vanilla extract.

Adapted from Everyday Food Light. Makes 12-14 cookies.

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour, plus extra to flour the countertop
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup walnut pieces (or chopped walnuts)
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp half and half (not fat-free) or milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with a Silpat (silicone liner) or parchment paper, and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the walnuts and raisins.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and half and half. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir until the ingredients are just combined. (The dough will be very dry.)

Sprinkle some flour on your countertop, and bring the dough together in a ball. Place the dough on the baking sheet. Shape it into a rectangular loaf, approximately 1 inch thick, 3 inches wide and 7 inches long.

Bake at 350F for 25 minutes, until risen and firm. Then, set the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the loaf cool completely, for at least 1 hour.

Lower the oven temperature to 300°F. Transfer the loaf to a cutting board, and, with a serrated knife, cut diagonal slices 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices back on the baking sheet.

Bake at 300F for 15 minutes, flip the slices over, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the biscotti are dried and lightly golden.

Set the baking sheet on a cooling rack, and cool completely. Store the biscotti in an airtight tin for up to 1 week.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Pumpkin chocolate chip biscotti
Ginger-apricot biscotti
Lemon-currant biscotti
Amaretti cookies
Carrot cake cupcakes with lemon frosting

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Whole wheat pumpkin muffins with cranberries and walnuts, from Pinch My Salt
Sour cherry pie with whole wheat crust, from Tigers & Strawberries
Low-sugar and whole wheat brownies with walnuts, from Kalyn's Kitchen
White whole wheat biscuits, from Baking Bites
White whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, from Joy the Baker

Whole wheat walnut-raisin biscotti

From the pantry, you'll need: white whole wheat flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, walnuts, raisins, eggs, vanilla extract.

Adapted from Everyday Food Light. Makes 12-14 cookies.

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour, plus extra to flour the countertop
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup walnut pieces (or chopped walnuts)
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp half and half (not fat-free) or milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with a Silpat (silicone liner) or parchment paper, and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the walnuts and raisins.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and half and half. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir until the ingredients are just combined. (The dough will be very dry.)

Sprinkle some flour on your countertop, and bring the dough together in a ball. Place the dough on the baking sheet. Shape it into a rectangular loaf, approximately 1 inch thick, 3 inches wide and 7 inches long.

Bake at 350F for 25 minutes, until risen and firm. Then, set the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the loaf cool completely, for at least 1 hour.

Lower the oven temperature to 300°F. Transfer the loaf to a cutting board, and, with a serrated knife, cut diagonal slices 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices back on the baking sheet.

Bake at 300F for 15 minutes, flip the slices over, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the biscotti are dried and lightly golden.

Set the baking sheet on a cooling rack, and cool completely. Store the biscotti in an airtight tin for up to 1 week.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Pumpkin chocolate chip biscotti
Ginger-apricot biscotti
Lemon-currant biscotti
Amaretti cookies
Carrot cake cupcakes with lemon frosting

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Whole wheat pumpkin muffins with cranberries and walnuts, from Pinch My Salt
Sour cherry pie with whole wheat crust, from Tigers & Strawberries
Low-sugar and whole wheat brownies with walnuts, from Kalyn's Kitchen
White whole wheat biscuits, from Baking Bites
White whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, from Joy the Baker

Comments

The baker in me enjoys making biscotti but my inner cookie monster has a difficult time sharing! Thanks so much for hosting or lunch Lydia and sharing these yummy snacks. Stacy

Just what I look for -- whole grain, less sugar, less fat, and it's calling me!

Ahhh, I wish I had one of those biscotti right now. I love biscotti and always have trouble eating just one. I'm looking forward to our next lunch.

One of my very favorite cookie recipes is for almond biscotti. It's not Christmas until I make a batch. This recipe sounds like a very worthy variation.

They do sound delicious!

Stacy, now I can admit that I had a hard time sharing with you and Donna, too!

Susan, I don't have a real sweet tooth, so believe me when I tell you these are not overly sweet. I think you'll like them.

Donna, same here, on all counts. Lunch in August?

eJean, I hope you'll give them a try.

Kalyn, oh, they were good. And I'm not a real cookie lover, but I did love these.

This looks very delicious! I love that there is not much sugar on it.

Jeff, I feel the same way. Not too sweet, but the raisins are luscious.

I made the biscotti last night -- started at 10 PM, out of the oven and finished at 1 AM! So, the prep is simple (a piece of cake, you might say), but the cooling time has to be accounted for.
And they are just right!

Lydia, I'm a complete biscotti addict! These look delicious - I have never made biscotti with whole wheat flour, this is interesting!

Susan, you're right about the cooling time. I would never have the energy to start baking late at night -- nor the concentration! Whenever I bake late in the day, I forget an ingredient, and it's often the key ingredient. I'm definitely a morning baker.

Patricia, I don't make biscotti often, but I loved these less-sweet ones. Can you get white whole wheat flour in Brazil?

Hey, sweetie - no, no white whole wheat here. But I guess I could use the regular kind, don't you think? I always have that around.

I love recipes with whole wheat ... Had to pin this one :-)