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Tiramisu Biscotti

By January 4, 2011December 3rd, 2020Breakfast, Desserts, Vegetarian

Start The Year Off Right!

If you need a little encouragement to start the year off right, please read this testimony from a phone client who travels about 3 weeks out of the month, has a wife and a toddler, and still finds time to prepare meals. He lost 35.5 pounds in 45 days just by changing a few things.


“Maria,

Many of those that have posted have struck a chord with my situation before starting with you.  The “dark” side of my story was intentionally left out because I’m not at my goal yet.  For now, I just keep myself focused on results and not how or why–especially since it’s difficult to exist in the “what if I didn’t have a friend that helped me?”

It is humbling to see how much trust you place in your clients and how much hope and faith they have in you!  There were some posters that touched on similar concerns to mine, so I wanted to clarify in the hope that others may see how working with you can simplify, not complicate; can be cheap, not expensive.

1.  I did NOT cook for most of my progression.  I suck at cooking.  I had to ask my wife how to hard boil eggs.  Seriously.   So MY weight loss was not dependent on baking or cooking skills.  Your recipes impacted my enjoyment and spare time, but my weight loss was not dependent on a magic recipe.  And I built up to them.  With that said, I can see how some people would see an immediate benefit from substituting your healthified stuff.  But for someone that is on the road, eats out or just can’t cook–don’t worry.  Maria’s plan works incredibly well in that reality that so many of us live in.

2.  When my son and I cook, it’s often easy stuff like fried eggs or my new hard-boiled egg recipe (egg + boiling water).  I thought I’d be late to work, but it literally takes 15 minutes to start to finish.  Okay, sometimes longer if we decide to sing.  My waffle maker was $50.  Made that back in one skipped trip to Sunday buffet.  Your pancakes are like $2.50 and were breakfast for 3 days.

3.  My progress and your plan for me was 100% INDEPENDENT of a source of food.  Eggs were eggs.  Chicken was chicken.  I did NOT need to find cage-free, organic DHA ratio eggs from Chickens that did yoga every morning.

4.  I took the past 1.5 to 2 months to learn WHILE doing.  You have now recommended 4-5 books that I read while exercising.  And YouTubes and postings.  But if I waited to learn, I’d still be where I was.  Maybe even more depressed.  I imagine a lot of people are like how I am in many many ways but chose not to be with this.  I would read to find fault or problems.  To blame an industry or food.  I came to realize that even if all of that is true, so what?  It’s not about them, it’s about me.

5.  I did not try to change anyone but me.  We had meals where son, wife, and I all ate different things.  So what?  Is that ideal–no.  But who cares?  You know what–son started asking for what “papa” was eating.  Salsa (Pace) over ketchup.  Then mustard over salsa.  Then eggs over toast.  Now mustard on eggs.   And mustard on waffles.  Eventually, that’s where the baking and recipes helped…and that was key for me.

6.  Your plan SAVED me money.  I saved on snack foods not because I chose to not eat them–but because I did not need to snack.  I have an $8 bag of almonds in my pantry that I bought 2 months ago–and am only now down to the bottom.  I used to spend $15/day on snacks throughout the day.

7.  It was far easier for me to use your system of the basic meals first, then build.  I didn’t focus on what I couldn’t eat–just on what I could.  I built a meal only from known things–especially helpful when on the road.  “When in doubt, leave it out.”  I was stunned that I would get full and satisfied throughout the day so I didn’t even feel like I missed anything.

8.  Here’s a true story–I started to pass on airline meals.  I’ve had two flight attendants tell me “Good for you” in a very sincere way.  One explained how she fasts while flying.  This WILL happen to anyone that does your plan–you will find camaraderie in the oddest places.

9.  I have an ego and associated my willingness to try any local food with business success and whatever.  That was totally in my head.  There are just as many, if not more, people that I work with that have endeared themselves to me because I opted to jog along the oceanside rather than eat a local potato.

10.  Mentally, it was important for me to paint a picture quickly.  After a couple of days of seeing the mental shift and energy level, I tried consciously to act as though I was already there.  What you helped me focus on was things like sleep, stress and reading.  I was, therefore, making decisions from a positive place and not out of a victim, sufferer, tired/cranky, etc..

Anyway, Maria thanks for all your help and I’m looking forward to my own home stretch to my goal.  Looking forward to trying even more of the recipes with my son who’s already asking me for your chocolate donuts!  ‘Papa, Nutritious AND Delicious!’   He’s one smart low-carb cookie!”

Click HERE to get started like Robert! You deserve it!

My husband and I often joke and talk about if we have any foods that we miss from our former fat days and we both agree on one thing… Custard Filled Donuts! Ahhhh… Saturday morning cartoons and donuts as a kid were a favorite day. This custard tastes just like it!

“HEALTHIFIED” CUSTARD
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup Swerve (or erythritol and 1/4 tsp stevia glycerite)
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted

Whisk egg yolks, almond milk, and sweetener in a medium metal bowl to blend. Slowly mix in the melted butter so the eggs don’t cook unevenly. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk mixture constantly and vigorously until thickened and an instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 140°F for 3 minutes, about 5 minutes total (or coats the back of a spoon). Remove mixture from over water. Serve warm or chilled. (If serving chilled, it can be prepared 1-3 days ahead and refrigerated. Re-whisk before serving.) Makes 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Custard = 240 calories, 19g fat, 4.2g protein, 15g carbs, 0g fiber
“Healthified” Custard = 185 calories, 18g fat, 4.2g protein, 1g carb, 0g fiber

TIRAMISU BISCOTTI
1/3 cup coconut oil or butter, softened
1/2 cup Swerve (or Erythritol and 1/2 tsp stevia glycerite)
2 eggs
1 tsp rum extract
2 cups almond flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 TBS espresso powder
OPTIONAL:
1/2 cup ChocoPerfection bar, chopped
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease baking sheets, or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sweetener until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the rum extract. Combine the almond flour, baking powder, and espresso powder; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. The dough will be stiff, so mix in the last bit by hand. Mix in the chocolate pieces and nuts. Divide dough into two equal parts. Shape into 9x2x1 inch loaves. Place onto the baking sheet 4 inches apart. Brush with a mixture of water and yolk.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm. Cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice the loaves diagonally into 1-inch slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet, placing them on their sides. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on each side, or until dry. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Makes 30 biscotti.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Using white flour and sugar = 70 calories, 4g fat, 1g protein, 10g carbs, 0g fiber (10 effective carbs)
Using Almond flour and Swerve = 70 calories, 6g fat, 2g protein, 1.6g carbs, 0.8g fiber (0.8 effective carbs)

Use the custard to fill my Danish for a Pure Protein and Fat Breakfast that is also dairy-free!

I added a little strawberry extract to the custard!

IMG_5064

Maria Emmerich

Maria is a wellness expert who has helped clients follow a Ketogenic lifestyle to heal and lose weight for over 20 years. She has helped thousands of clients get healthy, get off medications and heal their bodies; losing weight is just a bonus. She is the international best selling author of several books including "Keto: The Complete Guide to Success on the Ketogenic Diet.".

74 Comments

  • Anonymous says:

    Hi Maria
    I read your chapter about fasting..
    1. Does fasting level out insulin? or does Cortisol kick in? I have read conflicting stories against and for fasting.

    2. Also…have you heard of coconut nectar? I saw it at the grocery store. It is supposed to have a low glycemic index…but I am worried it may be similar to agave…which i thought was healthy until I read your book!

    3. I am still working on my blood sugar…not good. 100 this morning…I am young and very active and fit…..going to get A1c blood test. I would have never checked my blood sugar…but your book has me thinking. So Thank you!
    laura tyrrell

    • Anonymous says:

      Thank you so much….i will read the summary research on IF and listen to the link you put in #2.

      I will let you know what my A1C ends up being….

      Laura

    • Anonymous says:

      Hi Maria

      I got my A1c…5.4 and my fasting lab glucose was 96. Which is the high end of normal per ADA. Although, as I research I see that under 5 is optimal.

      I find it strange that as long as lab values are in the so called “normal” range…most physicians send you on your way. I do not believe my results are normal even though they are in the normal range. I am 35 years old, thin, very active and eat fairly healthy….so to me these values are a little shock….what would they be if I wasn’t active?….

      So…thank you for getting me thinking and because of you I am slowly getting my head out of the sand

      Thanks
      Laura

  • France says:

    oooh you read my mind! I was just telling a friend how hard it had been to NOT have Tiramisu at the work lunch for Christmas!!!
    “35.5 pounds in 45 days” astounds me! and makes me a bit jealous to tell you the truth 😉

    • France says:

      well, I should say it wasn’t THAT hard, but it was a lot harder than passing on the pasta 🙂 but I knew I could come home and have a “treat” if I wanted, of something that wouldn’t send me in a sugar high… so it was all worth it!

    • It is always worth it in the long run! 🙂

    • Men always lose weight faster too!;)

    • Sherrilee says:

      So true that. It’s a physiological fact that men lose weight faster but it’s annoying for sure! 😉 Hubby is now down 40 pounds since June and I’m only down 25…but we’ve only been eating Maria’s way for a bit and we still haven’t been able to afford all the supplements as yet due to Christmas and New Years…looking forward to seeing my metabolism kick in after that a bit more.

  • Hey Maria, great post!!

    I have just finished eating a portion of the custard….YUM YUM YUM!!!!

    I did tweak it a bit: I used cream in place of the almond milk (my supermarket didn’t sell any and it was too late to walk to the health store ^_^)
    Also, I had to simmer it in a glass bowl and not a metal one as I don’t have one…. it took FOR EVER to thicken but it did in the end, maybe even too much, I now have a pudding but it is gorgeous!

    I am to make the biscotti tomorrow, I couldn’t be bothered anymore tonight, am about to settle down to Dredd. Am wondering though, as I have no coffee powder nor rum extract, could I boil down a cup of espresso so it’s even stronger and use it in place of the teaspoon of rum extract??

    Thanks for what you do!!!

    Big hug from far away Amsterdam
    X Nikki

    • Thanks! I think that would work great. Basically create your own extract. I would just add it to taste though (add a little and test) to make sure you don’t add too much or little. 🙂

    • Great!

      I just finished baking the biscotti and MAAAN did I screw that up!!! LOL
      Just one of those where anything that could go wrong …did

      Only sweetner I had in the house was liquid so I used that, the butter would not ‘cream’ – with the eggs mixed it it kind looked scrambled – I slipped when adding my liquid coffee so a whole lot went in there and, you guessed it:it was way too liquid, I had a batter, not a dough 🙁

      What I did to save it was to add finely ground flax into it until it became stiff enough to shape. I baked as instructed and I just ate one right out of the oven (do the crisp up as they cool??) and it was GOOD! I could taste the coffee and the chocolate 🙂 Well chuffed, thanks!

      Just goes to show that even when things don’t go as planned, you can still end up with something quite tasty!

      I’m going to try your breadmix soon as I finally have some psylium.

      x from a snacking me! 🙂

  • Mizzsingbabe says:

    I started using stevia and realized that it has a bitter after taste. Does Swerve has the after taste

    • Swerve doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste. 🙂

    • Jamie says:

      Stevia, the plant, has a natural sweet-bitter-sweet quality to it. I used to grow the plants for awhile until I began to travel for work and couldnt keep up my herb and plant garden. For liquid I use only the KAL version which does not have an aftertaste. For powder, I like Zen Sweet formerly known as Habitall (half Stevia half erythritol) and Swerve (basically 100% erythritol which you can find at health food stores). What I like about Swerve is their confectioner sugar version! Yum! Basically like powder sugar. My 2 cents

  • Mmm, the custard looks delicious!!

  • Sherrilee says:

    I made the custard and biscotti for dessert last night. Lovely.
    I’d never made custard without “custard powder” before so it’s a bit of a work in progress…the person who designed my stove thought I couldn’t possibly need an outlet on it for an electric mixer and my mixer can’t reach from halfway across the room so I had to whisk it by hand…I think I’ll need to get an extension cord for it. I’m sure it would be a bit smoother if whisked by the hand mixer rather than me.
    Still delish though! Hubby loved dipping. I used raspberry flavoring and used raspberry chocoperfection in it. (I loathe rum flavoring) yummy!

  • Tammy in WI says:

    Hi Maria,

    I’ve been making your recipes and eating accordingly for about 2 weeks now. I love that I haven’t felt bloated or craved/binged on sugary foods (no cravings or binging as a matter of fact). My question concerns weight loss. While I am eating in a way that does not result in blood sugar surges and consequently insulin …can I expect to lose weight automatically ? It sounds too easy. Should I be tracking the carbs, sugar, protein and fat to ensure I am in “the appropriate” range for weight loss? Since I’m only eating when hungry and eating only Maria approved food..is that sufficient? Can you tell I’m a professional dieter???? 😉

    -Tammy

    • Hi, eating the right food is good, but there are some things you can do to help accelerate the weight loss. Intermittent fasting, nutrient timing, etc. (I talk about these in my metabolism book) Also, if your goal is to lose weight, try to stay under 30g of effective carbs a day. For example, cauliflower is great, but if you eat 4 cups of raw cauliflower that is 11g of carbs/sugar. 🙂

  • Amanda N. says:

    FABULOUS!! The biscotti is in the oven for the 2nd baking right now, but I sneaked and had some of the ‘ugly’ pieces early with the custard and am in food heaven right now. I will eat dinner while the biscotti bakes the 2nd time so I don’t go face first into it as soon as it’s out of the oven!
    I didn’t have a metal pan to mix the custard in, so I used glass and the bottom of the bowl didn’t sit too far down in the pan. I stood there with a mixer for no less than 25 minutes. I’m really short too, so my arms were at head level holding the mixer and a spatula the whole time. Yes, my shoulders were burning. :)And I realized half way through that I’d forgotten I really needed to go to the bathroom. It was quite comical, but I made it!
    Anyway Maria, thank you for the recipe!

  • Luz says:

    Hi Maria,
    Is the biscotti crunchy?

  • Miss Niss says:

    i’m looking to get one of your books…i can only afford one so i’m wondering in your opinion which one do you believe is the best??HAHA atleast the most beneficial?? i don’t know, just dont know which one!!!

  • Anonymous says:

    Hi Maria, is there any way to make biscotti with coconut flour? I just got a diagnosis (finally!) of Lyme Disease, which apparently I’ve had for 16 years and is to blame for all my crazy and seemingly unrelated symptoms. Anyhoo, my herbalist (who directed me to your blog) says I’m too sensitive at the moment for almond flour and said to use the coconut flour recipes for a while. I can have Swerve, but no Chocoperfection or cocoa for a while. Thank you so much, I love to bake and facing the rest of my life without it would be very hard. Although, at this point I have gotten sick enough that I will give up whatever I have to! I have already come (mostly) to terms with no sugar or grains ever again. I am hoping to have dairy again someday, maybe by 2014.
    Heather from Canada

    • Hi, It isn’t a one for one replacement. I try using 1/4 the amount of coconut flour and twice the eggs. Then adjust if needed from there if batter is thick or thin. You can try baking just one, try it and then adjust for the rest. 🙂

    • Anonymous says:

      Thank you, will give it a go!
      Heather

    • France says:

      Heather, let us know how you go. I prefer cooking with coconut flour when I can (more economical)… I’d love to know how you went.

      I have the biscotti in the oven now, for the first baking… I used instant coffee powder as that’s all I had, might be a bit strong 🙂 or “right up my alley”! I’ll take pics if they look nice, as yours look so good!!

  • Anonymous says:

    Hi Maria,
    Does the stevia glycerite cut the coolness of the Erythritol. I have tried making some desserts for guests at our weekly Bible study with Z-sweet and the coolness effect was not well received. 🙁 I’m back to splenda for most sweets now, but if there is a healthier alternative that does not offer that coolness, that would be awesome! Thanks so much!

    • Tammy says:

      Just Like Sugar and Just Like Brown Sugar are fantastic zero calorie sweeteners. No cooling effect and can be found on vitacost.com

    • Also, Swerve doesn’t have as much of a cooling effect as plain erythritol. But if that is still too much, I would use Just Like Sugar that Tammy describes. You could try using more stevia glycerite and less erythritol to make the effect less also. 😉

    • Anonymous says:

      Thank you both so much for the information. Still trying to figure out this information. I’m so NOT a cook that the idea of monkeying with the proportions of the sweeteners didn’t even occur to me. And thank you also for the info on Just Like Sugar – i thought all of them had the cooling effect now. 🙂 You two are most helpful! 🙂

  • ashley mae says:

    how long do they keep from going rotten? and if stored in a glass jar, can i keep them out in room temp? and for how long? thanks lokinf forward to making these!

  • Samantha says:

    Ooh wow these look amazing Maria. I’ve just emailed you regarding email health assessment as I’m seeing a doctor tomorrow and wanted to see what to test for 🙂

    What can I use instead of egg yolk?

  • Shelly says:

    Hi Maria

    These sound sooooo good! If i use non-blanched almond meal will this adversely affect the biscotti?

    Thank-you for all the inspiration and help to eat the right way. Your blog and the ingenious sweets keep me compliant!

  • Hello Maria! I love your blog and make a lot of your recipes when I can substitute honey or coconut sugar. I thought I remember seeing some sort of conversion chart for different sweeteners on your blog somewhere…? I can’t seem to find it and I desperately want to try more of your recipes, but I don’t want to wing it. If I find something accurate, I’d also like to buy your kids’ book!

  • Tatti Apple says:

    This is absolutely delicious biscotti! I love the recipe. I used mint flavored bars, since it’s only one type of bar I hand on hand. This is my new love!

  • Darlene says:

    Today I made 2 batches of your sub bread, then used the leftover yolks to make healthified custard which became coconut cream pie in a Wheat Belly crust! Heavenly! Thank you for the recipes!

  • Lenka says:

    Just made them today and my son’s comment was: they are soo delicious that my tongue can’t believe that 🙂

  • Jan W says:

    This recipe looks great! I know it’s probably blasphemy to even ask this, but is it “possible” to use real, organic cane sugar if one chose to? Also, may I ask about the lovely cup and saucer in the photo above? It it a pattern that can be purchased? SOOOO pretty!

  • Elaine says:

    What is stevia glycerite exactly? Is it the same as liquid stevia? I have several recommended by Lauren of the Healthy Indulgences blog, the plain stevia powder, the liquid in chocolate and vanilla cream. Can’t remember the brand though.

  • Christina says:

    Hola! This might be a silly question, but I need to know 🙂 What do you mean by the cooling effect and why do you recommend a combo of Erythritol and 1/2 tsp stevia glycerite together when replacing Swerve? I haven’t found Swerve at the market yet, but I’ll order some soon. In the meantime I’m using ZSweet :/

  • Belenda says:

    I just made this – actually in the oven right now. Thru the entire mixing though, I’m questioning the 2 tablespoons of espresso powder?? That wasn’t a typo, right? I tasted the dough and it’s mighty overpowering. I sure hope it calms down during baking… I have been wanting biscotti for over a year, so, am very excited to taste this. I’m wondering if I should actually finish off the sliced 2nd part by dehydrating in my excaliber? any thoughts or suggestions on temp/time for that possibility?

    Thanks

  • Aubrey says:

    made this for Christmas to put into a “healthified” english trifle, it was DELICIOUS!!! Thank you for all the amazing recipes!

  • Angela says:

    Hi Maria: Made this this a.m. Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo dissappointed. Are they supposed to look just like the picture?

    Here are changes I had to make due to lack of exact ingredients:

    1. I used perhaps 1/8 cup coconut flour because I didn’t quite have the total two cups. So I used 1 7/8 cups Almond Flour and 1/8 cup of coconut flour. By the way I did use Bob Mills and it was Almond “meal” flour not blanched.

    2. I didn’t have swerve so I used Xylitol. The Xyla brand. Would that make a huge difference. By the way, the Xyla (Xylitol) never really did “cream” with the butter. Not the way it normally does with regular sugar.

    3. Didn’t have rum flavoring. Used Anise instead.

    4. Didn’t have espresso powder…Used instant coffee instead.

    5. My biscotti was crumbling and falling apart when I went to cut it for the 2nd baking. They were totally cool, but still crumbled.

    They came out a very dark brown (nothing like your picture) and tasted a bit burnt. They were very grainy!

    I tested my oven and the reading was correct.

    Would the sugar I used and the almond flour I used make that much of a difference. I have to throw it all away, and these ingredients are so expensive it’s discouraging when one fails.

    I will try again though.

    thanks for all you do. I’ve watched all your vimeo videos and now my Kitchen-Aide is back on the counter. I know I’ll need it.

    Would love some comments from you or anyone else on this post.

    Blessings to all and happy cooking!

    Angela
    http://www.angelachan.com

  • Michelle says:

    I could not bring myself to make your Amazing Bread until I knew what to do with the egg yolks. I don’t have an ice cream maker, so I was a bit stumped. Luckily, one of the comments on that post answered the question and led me to this recipe. I love this custard (I won’t feel as left out when my husband has his ice cream), and the bread, although it fell just a bit, is the closest approximation to wheat bread that I have ever tried. It seems to actually have a crust! Most of the almond flour/coconut flour plus egg recipes I’ve tried smell like singed egg-white, and that is off-putting for me. My last holdout (something that prevents me making some of your recipes) is the whey protein powder. It’s expensive (to me), and it seems like I could go through it pretty quickly. It seems that I can’t make many of your “treats” without this ingredient. I’ve been pretty satisfied with just a couple of squares of very dark chocolate as a sweet (or coconut oil/cocoa powder/stevia). It does have sugar in it but not much, so I’m weighing the effects. Thanks for all of these creative ways to eat well.

  • colleen says:

    OMG!!!! This custard is AMAZING!!! Tastes just like the “real” thing!!! Thank you!!

  • Janet t says:

    maria, I substituted just like sugar…. :(:(:(, it looked like a separated, curdled mess. I like the taste of this sugar but I don’t think you can do a lot with it when heat is applied. I think baking will be fine, but heating it up in a sauce or for caramel I don’t think will work. what is your experience with this? couldn’t find infor on their website either. I have to find something to replace the swerve. they just don’t like it…

    • cemmerich says:

      Yes, it is all fiber so this can happen when you add it to liquid. I would keep just like sugar in moderation and only for special occasions. It is high in carbs (all fiber, but still high).

  • Janet t says:

    thanks for the tip. I will remember that.

  • Carrie says:

    I just made a double batch of this & it was very frothy & never really thickened. I checked the temp a couple times & it was over 140. Even after mixing for about 10 minutes. I transferred it to a pot over medium heat thinking maybe it didn’t get hot enough, & now it looks like it separated. It tastes fine (frozen custard maybe?), but it doesn’t look good. I made a single batch before & it came out perfect.

  • Valerie says:

    what is a good use of the egg white? I only have vanilla protein powder. Thanks

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