Cranberry Almond Biscotti (gluten-free, paleo)

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These gluten-free, paleo biscotti are made from almond flour and filled with dried cranberries and whole almonds.
Cranberry almond biscotti. Gluten-free, grain-free and paleo.

So, I noticed two things as I was scrolling through several of my recipes this week – 1) I tend to be an exclamation point over-user, and 2) I talk about the weather A LOT.

It’s not surprising that I use exclamation points all the time, if you met me in person you’d see that I’m a pretty energetic, bubbly person. And I get excited about well, almost anything. Recipe successes, sunshine, travel, hikes, chocolate…you get the idea. I tend to write how I talk (or at least I try to) and I guess that translates into lots of exclamation marks. Once I start to do videos, you guys will see what I mean.

And the weather, well, I don’t know why the weather holds so much interest for me, other than the fact that awesome, sunny weather makes me feel like a million bucks. And in my happy state, I guess I like to talk about it. But seriously, 5 recipes in a row talked about the weather. Ha! Okay, I’ll try to keep exclamation points and weather convos a little in check from now on. Because I can talk about other things – like these biscotti.

Cranberry almond biscotti. Gluten-free, grain-free and paleo.

Cranberry almond biscotti. Gluten-free, grain-free and paleo.

Cranberry almond biscotti. Gluten-free, grain-free and paleo.

These gluten-free, paleo biscotti are the perfect accompaniment to your morning coffee (I love Chemex coffee) or cup of sexy superfood hot chocolate. They’re crunchy and sweet, from the almonds and cranberries – and they’ll dunk beautifully in your beverage.

The recipe is quite versatile so if you’ve got any other dried fruit on hand, feel free to use what you have. The key with making biscotti (especially this gluten-free, grain-free version) is to not get them too wide on the baking sheet. They do flatten out a bit as they cook. My dough started approx 4 inches wide by 12 inches long.

Also, you’ve gotta have a little patience, as biscotti cook twice. First, you’ll cook the dough until it’s golden. Then, let it cool and slice it. But it’ll still be soft on the inside, so you’ll pop the sliced biscotti back in the oven to get crispy. The recipe is easy, it just takes a while with all the cooking and cooling. But the good news is that they’ll stay crunchy for about two weeks in a sealed container – so on my next biscotti batch, I may just double it.

Enjoy!

Cranberry almond biscotti. Gluten-free, grain-free and paleo.

Cranberry almond biscotti. Gluten-free, grain-free and paleo.

(gluten-free, paleo) Cranberry almond biscotti. A delicious and crunchy paleo biscotti made with dried cranberries and almond flour.

Cranberry Almond Biscotti (gluten-free, paleo)

4.84 from 12 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 biscotti
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

These gluten-free, paleo biscotti are made from almond flour and filled with dried cranberries and whole almonds.

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Combine the eggs, honey, vanilla and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix on high for 30 seconds, until frothy.
  • Add the flours, baking soda and sea salt to the mixing bowl and stir until a dough forms. Add the cranberries and almonds and stir to combine.
  • Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spoon out the dough to create a long rectangle, approximately, 4 inches by 12 inches.
  • Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 hour. Once cooled, slice the biscotti approximately an inch thick on a slight diagonal and lay them on their side.
  • Place the biscotti back in the oven and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, until crunchy.

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: cranberry almond biscotti, gluten free biscotti, paleo biscotti
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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Spinach and Artichoke Dip (dairy-free, paleo)

Chai Spiced Granola (grain-free)

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

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58 Comments

  1. Hi Lisa,
    I would love to make your Cranberry Biscotti recipe but was wondering could I use Chia eggs instead of the two eggs in your recipe. They look delicious. Also I am going to try your Chia Crackers. Can hardly wait to taste them. Love your amazing recipes so very much. Thanks!5 stars

  2. I had the same experience of the dough being like cake batter. Added a generous 1/4 cup GF blend flour and almost 1 T. extra arrowroot. They were scrumptious! As someone else commented, there are many types of almond flour. This is most likely what caused very different results. 

  3. Hi Lisa. I am so happy that you provide the nutritional information for each recipe. Thanks a mil! Could you clarify is the information is for the entire batch or per serving? Thanks!

  4. Dear blogger, with all due respect, if everyone’s dough is turning out too wet, that means there’s something wrong with the recipe, not that we’re all doing it wrong. This recipe had so much potential to be good.

    My ‘dough’ was the consistency of cake batter when I followed the recipe. Things didn’t improve until I added 2 tbs of cornmeal, then more arrowroot flour, then, frustratedly, three handfuls of regular flour.

    Perhaps consider re-testing this recipe? 

    1. Thanks for your comment. I do take all reader comments to heart and while many have made this recipe with success and rated it 5 stars, I’m always happy to consider re-testing to see if anything can be improved. :)

      1. I wonder if the confusion lies in ‘Almond Flour’. The following can be considered Almond Flour: ground almonds, blanched ground almonds, defatted ground almonds, defatted almond flour. What are you using when you say ‘Almond Flour’? A prepackaged brand? This would be super helpful info and could explain why everyone is getting differing results – we’re all using different versions of something which can be considered Almond Flour perhaps?

      2. Hi Gill – it could be. I do plan on re-testing this recipe again soon, so will let everyone know what I learn. :)

  5. Woww!!!! Just Yummm thank you Lisa amazing recipe all the family enjoyed it throughly!!!! Tagging you on insta as well..they were all finished in a go.. 5 stars

    1. Hi Monica – Amazing! Glad to hear everyone in your family enjoyed these biscottis. And thanks for tagging on Instagram :)

  6. The biscotti turned out great!  I have been making biscotti for over 15 years but always with flour.  I love this GF option.  For me, the key to getting them crunchy is turning the oven down to 250 for the second bake.  I left them in for 45 minutes.5 stars

    1. Hi Kim- I’m so glad you loved this biscotti! Especially for someone whose been making it for over 15 years!

    2. Thanks for the tip!  I also substituted the honey with brown sugar.  The biscotti came out beautifully and super crunchy!5 stars

  7. WOW!! These gluten free biscottis are to die for!! Gotta watch the time.  (These remind me of my grandma.) I slightly burnt the first batch (I still ate them though). Perfection on the second batch. I’m trying to be disciplined and not eat the entire batch in one sitting.  But, I so want too! :)5 stars

  8. Made these biscotti for the first time today. Cranberries and almonds are my top 2 additions to baked goods so it was a no-brainer to try it. After reading all the comments I added about 1/4 cup of coconut flour to make the dough drier. Also, reduced the amount of honey to less than 1/4 cup and added about a TBSP of blackstrap molasses. I used 1/2 tsp of pure almond extract instead of vanilla and very little of lemon zest, about 1/3 of lemon not the whole. Baked 20 min on 350F, cooled for about 30-40 min, sliced and baked 20 min on 300F. Biscotti are perfectly crunchy and just enough sweet. My non-GF husband said they taste like real biscotti which he really likes. Thank you Lisa!
    I’m subscribed to your YouTube channel but this is the first time on your website. This recipe is definitely a keeper :)5 stars

    1. Hi there! Welcome to the Downshiftology community :) I’m so glad you and your husband loved these biscottis! My goal is to always find ways to make gluten free foods taste delicious, as I never compromise flavor. I hope you two continue to enjoy my videos and recipes to come.

  9. Hi Lisa! 
    Did the biscotti and although they taste fab I didn’t manage to get them crunchy.  
    What do you think? I kept them in the oven longer in order to achieve the right crunchiness but unfortunately failed.
    Looking forward to your opinion.

     

    1. Hi Andry – I’ve found that they do come out a bit crunchier if you sub the honey for maple syrup. So you may want to try that next time. :)

  10. Batter was too wet so I added 2 tablespoons of fine cornmeal and they came out perfectly.

    I also subbed pistachios and chopped prunes for the nuts and fruit, maple syrup for honey and orange zest for lemon. 

    I didn’t use a handmixer, just whisked the wet ingredients by hand, then folded in dry with a rubber spatula. 

    Thank you for a healthy and successful recipe!!  I don’t eat gluten or dairy (check out my website: NoDOGS.com) so came very in handy :)5 stars

    1. Hi Steph – These substitutions sound great! And I’m glad you were quickly able to thicken the batter on the fly and it sounds like it turned out wonderful! :)

  11. Thanks for posting this recipe! I have been using it for 1 year and, also made numerous variations  (no cranberry no lemon and adding almond extract; the zest of 2 lemons instead of one – my personal favorite; just lemon zest, replacing the honey with cocunut sugar). They come out great and my boyfriend prefers them over the flour based ones. 

    I havent been able to crisp them up unless I replace the honey for the coconut sugar. I do, however, enjoy more the result of when I follow the recipe exactly. The best to describe what I get is as a biscotti shaped chewy cookie for me.5 stars

    1. I’m happy you love the recipe Gloria! And yes, it does turn out crunchier using the coconut sugar. But like you said, both ways are delicious! Thanks for sharing your variations as well. :)

  12. The dough was too soggy so I added more almond flour to arrive at a recognizable biscotti dough. They came out fine after that. Thanks for the recipe. 3 stars

  13. This was super wet as a batter… but guess what… throw it in a muffin tin with 18 mins at 350 degrees and you have the best breakfast muffins ever!5 stars

  14. I made this recipe in a high attitude area and was unable to get them crispy.  They did turn golden brown, but still not crispy.  When I left a few of them in the oven longer to see if that would get them crispy, they would just burn.  
    Any suggestion?

    1. Hi Linda – You might want to try reducing (or replacing) the honey with coconut sugar. That will usually make them more crispy. Hope that helps!

  15. I made them last night and have had a try this morning. They are delicious without being too hard as they have in the shops/cafe. I didn’t have honey so used maple syrup instead, the hint of lemon is what makes it more delectable.5 stars

    1. They’re definitely not as crunchy as wheat-based biscotti, but I too actually prefer them not being super hard. Glad you noticed that hint of lemon as well! ;)

    1. Hi Jeanetta – I’m slowly adding nutrition info to all recipes (I have hundreds to work through), so unfortunately don’t have that info for you today. But check back soon! :) x

      1. I’ve put in fresh blueberries, cooked for longer at a lower temp (to dry them out to get rid of the extra moisture) and they turn out great!  You really need that lemon rind tho, or orange, to give it that extra ‘something’ 😉

  16. Hi there….I just found your web site and I am so  excited to try so many of your recipes, I also love your you tube videos…thank you! I had very wet batter (same as other post below) so it came out rather flat, also the biscotti look like they would be crunchy but are rather soft. Did i do something wrong? Thank you!!!5 stars

    1. Hi Ellen – so happy to hear you love my website and YouTube channel! Unfortunately, a lot of variables can go into baking recipes, including brand of ingredients, altitude, etc. If your dough is a little wet, I’d just add some more flour next time. But yes, these biscotti aren’t quite as crunchy as those made with traditional wheat flour. Hope your next batch turns out a bit better! :) x

  17. these were delicious! I used chopped dates and pistachios in place of the cranberries and almonds. I had some maple syrup sugar so i replaced the honey too, and they came out so beyond what I was hoping for! thanks for the recipe!

  18. I must have done something really wrong. My batter would not hold its shape. Since I had used up all the almond flour, I had to add some all purpose flour. (not an issue for us) Disappointed because I really wanted to try these to give to a niece. The biscotti did taste delicious in spite of the ap flour addition. Loved the addition of the lemon zest!

    1. Oh no – bummer they didn’t hold their shape. Did you use extra large eggs? I just realized it didn’t stipulate the size of egg (I used large) so I’ll edit the recipe. But happy you liked the flavor! Fingers crossed they’ll turn out for your next try. :)

      1. I too had very wet batter and did not have enough almond flour so I ended up finely chopping ( using cuisinart) about 1 cup nut into almost flour to dry it out. I was wonderful.

    1. You could definitely try it! It’s such a small amount it would probably work. You could also try tapioca flour if you have that. Let me know how it turns out! :)

  19. As a proud italian, I love a good biscotti! Im impressed that this version is paleo freidnly! YUM!

    1. Oh, my Italian friend you will totally love this recipe! Definitely paleo-friendly and delicious. :) x

  20. Exclamation points are fun! :) Enthusiasm is a good thing. And these biscotti cookies sound fabulous – love the addition of cranberries.

    1. The recipe is super adaptable – I’m thinking a cocao biscotti next. ;) And agree 100% that enthusiasm is a FAB thing! :) x

      1. Hi Lisa, I just made these and they are super delicious! I subbed maple syrup for the honey as I am following a strict fodmap diet… and added some orange peel along with the cranberries. They are hands down the best paleo biscotti I’ve ever made and really help me stay on track, thank you!! ?

      2. That’s so wonderful to hear Rachel! I’m thrilled that you love them. :) x