Caramelized Apple Peanut Butter Biscotti

Makes one small loaf

2 medium (~7 oz) apples. diced (I used gala)

1 tsp cinnamon*

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg*

Generous pinch cloves*

Generous pinch allspice*

Generous pinch (~1/4) ginger*

Generous pinch (~1/4)cardamom*

¼ c brown sugar

4 Tbl butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

¼ c granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 ¼ c flour

2/3 c quick oats

½ tsp baking powder

generous pinch salt

¼ c peanut butter chips, plus more for drizzling

1.5 oz (generous ¼ c) chopped walnuts

*NOTE: on the spices these are just estimates. I didn’t measure them out, I just sprinkled them over the apples and sugar. Feel free to add more ginger and nutmeg, I’m not a fan of these spices, so I used less of them. 

Combine apples, brown sugar and spices in bowl; give it a quick stir to combine. 

Over med-low heat sauté the apples, until tender and caramelized about 3- 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. 

In a bowl, stir together flour, oats, flaxseed meal, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. 

In a mixing bowl, add sugar, melted butter, and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk in the eggs.  

Add the apples and stir. Stir in the dry ingredients, along with the chips and nuts, and with a rubber spatula (or wooden spoon), stirring until just combined. Cover dough and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes minimum. 

When ready to bake, remove dough from fridge and preheat oven to 350F.  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. With wet hands, take the dough and form it into a rectangular loaf. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove. 

Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut loaf into desired portion size. Bake the pieces for about 6 minutes on each side, until golden and toasted. 

Drizzle melted peanut butter chips over pieces. ** Allow to cool completely, before storing in an airtight container.

**NOTE: I put a handful of peanut butter chips with a bit of vegetable shortening into a snack size Ziploc bag. Leaving bag open I microwaved, on defrost, in 30 second intervals until melted. Then seal up the bag, squeeze the chips to one corner, snip off a tiny bit of the corner and drizzle over biscotti.

Or you could just melt the chips and drizzle using a spoon or fork.

http://www.surlykitchen.com/2012/01/caramelized-apple-peanut-butter.html