Mocha Coconut Biscotti

If you’re a Starbucks fan like I am you know that every summer they come out with a coconut flavored syrup…

They feature it in a Mocha Coconut Frappuccino – which is delicious, but pretty high in calories and sugar. To compensate for that, I’ll get a few pumps of the coconut syrup in an iced coffee to cut the calories, while still having a little bit of that summer flavor.

(Side note – iced coffee is a daily thing for me… It’s really hard for me to do hot coffee without getting overheated since it’s like 100° here, haha.)

I also don’t frequently get any pastry items from Starbucks, but occasionally I will get a biscotti since they’re always pretty low in calories and pair so well with my iced coffee…

Given that the mocha and coconut flavors are perfect together, I thought I would try to make my own mocha coconut biscotti at home… I was my attempt at trying to cut down some of the calories and fat but still have that mocha coconut flavor that I love 🙂

When it comes to baking, it’s really hard to change up a recipe too much because it is so exact… As a result, there’s a TON of trial and error. With that being said, I got these biscotti under 200 calories apiece and they really hit the spot when you’re craving something sweet that will pair great with your coffee.

Ingredients:

Main Biscotti:

2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla an
1/4 cup shredded coconut flakes

Topping: 

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup shredded coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, beat together (using a hand mixer) sugars and applesauce until fully combined.
5. Using the mixer, set on lowest setting and beat in eggs one at a time. Then add vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.
6. Start to slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture and beat until it’s a dough-like consistency (completely combined).
7. Add 1/4 cup shredded coconut and mix into the dough – you may have to use your hands to mix thoroughly.
8. Place dough onto the baking sheet and divide into two equal pieces. Pat into approximately 9-inch long logs (make sure to leave room in-between each log for spreading when baking).
9. Place into the oven for 35 minutes.
10. Take out and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and cut into 1-inch biscottis (see picture below).
11. Place biscottis back on the cookie sheet and put back into the oven for 12-15 minutes until crispy.
12. Let cool on a wire rack.
13. Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips. I do it in the microwave in intervals of 20 seconds; pour chocolate into a ziploc bag and cut a little corner off the bag (like a pastry bag).
14. Take the bag and drizzle chocolate over the tops of the biscottis, measure out 1/4 cup coconut and sprinkle over the biscottis.
15. Let cool completely and till the chocolate hardens.

Nutritional Information:

Servings: approx. 18 biscottis
Serving Size: approx. 1 biscotti

Calories: 168
Fat: 4 g
Carbohydrates: 30 g
Sugar: 13 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 3 g