Vegan Banana and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Fear not all you carnivores, omnivores and any other vores that happen to be out there, I've not abandoned you. However at the moment I do find myself enjoying the challenge of making some of my favourite recipes more inclusive of those with special dietary requirements. I'm not sure why I've not tried a vegan biscotti recipe sooner to be honest, as with only a single egg it's a relatively easy one to tweak. Instead I've bound the dry ingredients with a mashed banana and just a dash of oat, soya or almond milk. The results are super delicious and very easy to prepare. The only consideration really is the time they take to make, so give yourself a couple of hours and then you won't have to rush.

Prep time: 10 Mins
Baking time: 30 Mins (Baking), 30 Mins (Drying)
125g Plain Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
100g Golden Caster Sugar
150g Dark Chocolate Chips
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Ripe Banana (Mashed)
0.5-1Tbsp Oat, Soya or Almond Milk

To the kitchen! Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a large flat baking tray with baking paper. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar and chocolate chips to a large mixing bowl and give them a mix around to combine. Add the vanilla extract, mashed banana and half a tablespoon of milk to the mixture. Mix briefly, then get your hand in there and bring together to a firm dough. If the mixture is too dry then you can add a touch more milk but be careful not to overdo it! The amount you will need will really depend on how big your banana is (Yes I did giggle as I typed that sentence).

Using wet hands form the dough into a fat sausage, about 20cm long and place in the middle of your baking sheet. Bake in the centre of the oven for around 30 minutes, until the dough has spread slightly and is a lovely golden brown all over. When you are happy the dough is baked remove from the oven and leave to cool on the paper for around 15 mins.

Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Carefully peel the baked dough from the baking paper and place on a chopping board. At the same time line your baking tray with a fresh sheet of baking paper. Using the sharpest large knife you have slice the dough into thin biscotti and place each on the baking paper (on their side). Take care here as the biscotti will be rather fragile until they have dried out. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes, then flip each onto the other side and bake for a further 15 minutes. This dries them out and gives them that amazingly dunkable texture. 

Once the biscotti have dried out on both sides remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray. You could transfer the biscotti to a wire rack if you prefer, but I've had no issues leaving them on the tray and it's one less thing to wash up after. Once cool you are ready to serve them up, although if you can't restrain yourself they are also fantastic whilst still warm. ;-)