I can’t even blink without a month going by anymore... which is why this biscotti, originally intended to be the recipe for September never quite made it, so it has officially become
October’s biscotti
However this cookie and month pairing honestly makes more sense, as the produce involved does lean more towards mid-to-late fall than end of summer: Kabocha and carrot
The idea of squash and carrot sprinkles was my main inspiration, and so carrot kabocha crunchies had to be made, which entails a quick pre-bake of super thin peels coated in sugar!! That roast is what makes the flavors tbh!!
Rye, walnut, kabocha and carrot biscotti, studded with toasted buckwheat and scented with some sustainable chai spice.🍂🍂🍂
Ingredients:
100 grams rye flour
185 all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
90 ml olive oil
175 grams sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp chai spices
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup toasted buckwheat
Carrot kabocha crunchies:
2 carrots
3 inch knob of kabocha squash ( or honeynut, acorn, butternut, buttercup)
1/4 cup sugar
make the crunchies:
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Wash and Peel 2 carrots into long, thin strips. Hollow out a kabocha, and cut off a 3 inch piece. Peel from the side long strips.
Lay peels on a clean dish towel, gently pat excess moisture from them.
Line a big baking sheet with parchment. Throw peels onto the sheet. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over top of your peels, then toss them so they are thoroughly coated.
Bake for 20ish minutes, then shake tray, and bake for another 10-15ish minutes till they are perfectly crunchy and dry. Some may be burnt, but we have to sacrifice for perfection sometimes.
Make the biscotti
In a stand mixer, beat your oil and sugar on medium speed for ~3 minutes.
While it’s mixing combine your flours, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
After 3 min., add each egg one at a time, waiting till the first one is fully incorporated before adding the second.
Beat in vanilla and spices. Then add in 1/2 of your dry ingredients. Mix on low till incorporated, and add the second half. Mix till just right ( no loose flour left), and then using a spatula, fold in the toasted buckwheat and about 1.5 cups of crushed carrot kabocha crunchies.
Split batter into 2 equal parts. Dump one half on a lined baking sheet. With lightly floured hands, form a long flattened log (maybe ~10 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 1.5 inches high— or whatever feels right ya know, baking is intuitive!)
Repeat with the other portion of dough, making sure the two logs are sufficiently far apart on the sheet (atleast 4 inches of space— if that isn’t possible use two sheets).
Sprinkle logs with some sugar just because, or not, and bake 35 minutes until the edges and top of logs are firm.
Remove them from the oven, and lower the temperature to 325 F. Let the logs cool for 10 minutes, and on a cutting board, slice logs diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices (or however thick/ thin you’d like the final cookie to be), and place the slices back on the baking sheet, cut side down.
Return sheets to oven and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes (this is largely dependent on how thin you slices them) till golden, and only slightly soft— they will crisp up and dry out once cooled substantially so don’t let them become rocks in the oven.
Note:
You could go the extra mile and dip each log into melted (or burnt!) white chocolate (I’d add a bit of lemon zest too so the sweetness isn’t the only thing you taste)— that sounds extra delightful.
But if you’re on a spiritual health journey or plan to eat these with the morning coffee or as a nutritious snack (they are full of veg!?), omit and enjoy as is.
