By Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff

If you are looking for a small bite for an afternoon break or a light dessert, these lightly sweetened almond-filled biscottis are a healthy companion to your hot chocolate, chai or coffee.  

To create this crunchy biscuit/cookie, you have to bake them twice and wait between the first baking and the second, but it is worth the trouble. 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons golden flax meal

4 tablespoons water (room temperature)

2 cups all-purpose flour 

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

6 tablespoons vegan spread

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup slivered almonds 

In a small cup, mix the flax meal with water at room temperature. Set it aside for 10 minutes. This will allow the flax meal to swell, and the mixture will act like an egg in the dough. 

In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and the optional salt. Set it aside.

Place the vegan spread, almond extract, vanilla, sugar and flax meal/water mixture into the bowl of a stand-up electric mixture and beat at a slow to medium speed until well combined. If you do not have an electric mixture, you can simply use a whisk and mix until well blended. 

Next, slowly add the dry ingredients – a little at a time – to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl at a slow speed until all ingredients are well mixed but not over-beaten. Stop the electric mixer (or the hand mixing) and add the slivered almonds. Form the dough into two or three oblong pieces and place them in a container with a tight-fitting lid and place them in the refrigerator for one half hour or up to an hour.

Then, preheat the oven at 350 degrees.  

Place parchment paper on two baking trays (cookie sheets). Take out the logs from the refrigerator and place them on a cutting board. Flatten each log into a rectangular shape that is about 4” x 7” x 1” (tall) and place them on the trays. Place them in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges have turned dry and light golden in color. Don’t over bake the logs as they will be sliced and baked a second time. 

Remove the logs from the oven and place them onto a cutting board. Brush the logs very lightly with water so they will be easier to slice once the logs are cooled down. Let the logs rest for 15 minutes. While they are resting, set the oven temperature down to 325 degrees.

Next, cut the cooled-down (but still bit warm) logs into 1/2” or ¾” thick slices, using a serrated knife.

Arrange the slices onto the baking trays, keeping some space in between them. Bake the slices for 10 minutes. Then, using a spatula, turn them over to cook again on the other side. Cook the slices for another 10 minutes. Then remove the trays from the oven and transfer the slices onto a serving platter.

Allow them to cool completely before serving.

Recipes by Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, copyright 2025. Shanta is a Sunset District resident and the author of “Cooking Together” and “Flavors of India,” available at Other Avenues Food Store at 3930 Judah St. Shanta writes recipes and articles on food and nutrition. She teaches vegetarian and vegan cooking classes at her home and gives cooking demonstrations for the public at SFPL branches frequently which you can find by viewing San Francisco Public Library’s event page. You can also view her recipes via videos on YouTube by searching Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff’s YouTube videos.