Last spring, my friend and I decided we’d start sketching outdoors from time to time. We live in a really beautiful area near a river with lots of great spots to set up, relax and draw. One sunny day, we met in a shady spot near the water with our bagged lunches and our sketchbooks. I had stuck a package of Almondina cookies in my bag for “dessert.” As we sat, and talked and drew and nibbled and talked and nibbled and nibbled, I realized we’d polished off the entire package (not hard to do!). They are crazy delicious!
Almondina are super thin, crunchy biscotti-like cookies chock full of nuts, seeds and fruit. Paired with a hot cup of coffee or tea, they become complete. As delicious as they taste, they are quite a guilt free cookie – except for when you eat twelve of them at once! They are made with whole wheat flour, barley flour, egg whites, no added fat and they are low in sugar.
I had saved the package of my Almondina cookies and using the list of ingredients, I’ve been trying to recreate something similar. I think these are quite comparable. Judging by the number of cookies I ate “testing” them, I’d have to say they are actually pretty much amazing.
Sesame Almond Biscotti Thins
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Line an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the whole wheat flour, barley flour and salt together. Stir in the almonds, sesame seeds and raisins.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. I like to do it by hand, but you can use a mixer if you’d like. Once you’ve reach soft peaks, add the sugar in small amounts whisking in between until all of the sugar is incorporated. Whisk in the vanilla.
Add the flour mixture slowly and with a large spoon or rubber spatula, fold the egg white mixture into the flour mixture. Do not over-mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes.
Remove from oven. Raise oven heat to 425 degrees. Place pan on a rack to cool slightly for about 10 minutes.
Lift the loaf out of the pan with the parchment. It should still be warm, but cool enough to handle, if not, wait about five more minutes. On a cutting board, using your sharpest serrated knife, begin to cut the loaf into 1/8″ slices. Arrange slices on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake the thins for 4 minutes. Remove them from the oven and flip each one over. Return them to the oven and bake for an additional 3 minutes.
Cool the thins completely on a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, prepare a pot of coffee. Find your favorite mug. Grab a good book, a handful of biscotti thins, relax and enjoy!
Notes:
- You can experiment with your own combinations of nuts, seeds and dried fruits. The possibilities are endless. Just keep the proportions the same.
Do you think these flours can be substituted for Almond flour?
Lisa, that’s a great question…I’ve been wondering it too! I’ve never tested it, but it’s on my to-do list. Once I do, I’ll post that and let you know!
Thank you for the recipe it was great! I used normal flour instead of barley and everybody loved them. Thanks for sharing!
So happy to hear it, Gabriela! These are my absolute favorite!
If I need to leave out the sesame seeds and raisins, what should I add to the recipe instead?
thanks
These look great and I’ll definitely try this recipe out! Thank you
Can I grind up pearl barley in the food processor to make the barley flour? I have never seen barley flour in the stores – not even health food stores..thanks!
Belle, I use Bob’s Red Mill Barley Flour. You should be able to ask your local health food store to order it for you. I wouldn’t recommend processing the barley yourself. The result could be really inconsistent. Good luck…hope you can get your hands on the barley flour…you’ll really love the results! Let me know how you make out with it! :D
The list of ingredients on the Almondina package includes “wheat flour, malted barley flour.” That doesn’t seem to be whole wheat, and barley malt is a special sweetening agent. It’s available online.
Thanks for that info, Joy! My recipe is just an adaptation so that any home cook can recreate those yummy Almondina at home with ingredients that are more easily available. Barley flour can be found in most health food stores and even in some larger grocery stores.