Ask a Vegan Baker

I have a great non-vegan recipe for biscotti. It's not typical in that it has 4 eggs in it. The resulting biscotti is firm but crumbly, has a crunchy texture but is not hard. I've been experimenting with egg replacers and either get something super soft that doesn't really resemble a biscotti or something so hard you'd break a tooth.

The recipe calls for 4-4 1/2 flour, 1 T baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, 4 eggs, 1 T vanilla and nuts. The best vegan version I've made keeps the flour, salt and baking powder the same. I used earth balance for the butter (I tried a non-hydrogenated shortening, but didn't like the taste as much), the vanilla. I also cut the sugar down to 1 1/2 cups and use unrefined evaporated cane sugar. For the eggs, I've used Bob's Red Mill egg replacer (enough for one egg), but when I've put more, the biscotti seem to get harder.

I've tried flax seed which works pretty well, but I can't sub in 4 eggs worth of flax seed. I've tried subbing in some apple sauce, but it makes the cookie softer. I've got xanthan gum and arrowroot powder, but I don't really understand what they do or how they affect texture.

Can anyone give me some suggestions for making a firm, crunchy vegan biscotti?