I may or may not have told you all that in 2013, the order of the day would be healthy, vegetable-centric recipes.

This may or may not be a recipe for cookies. Made with white flour, no less! What can I say, everything in moderation.

They came about last weekend, when I was putting together snacks for a day hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I’d hoped to throw together some granola bars, but we were all out of rolled oats, not to mention butter. Time to improvise.

As it turns out, biscotti are another great option to take on a hiking adventure! They’re light, hold up well during travel, and the fancied-up ingredients in these ones are sure to win over your trailmates. The combination of buttery pine nuts, resinous rosemary, tangy Meyer lemon, and sweet currants is well-balanced, and I daresay pretty magical.

Since we were all out of butter, I subbed in some Earth Balance Buttery Spread, a.k.a. trans-fat free vegan margarine. It worked just fine, but if you’d rather use unsalted butter, do add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.

Winter Biscotti with Pine Nuts, Rosemary, Meyer Lemon, Currants (printer-friendly version)

makes about 18 cookies

1/2 C. pine nuts

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch sea salt

4 Tbsp. (55 g.) Earth Balance Buttery Spread OR 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter + 1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 C. organic cane sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 Tbsp. Meyer lemon juice
2 tsp. Meyer lemon zest
2 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary

1/4 C. dried currants

1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Toast the pine nuts in a small (8-inch) skillet over medium-low heat until just beginning to brown. Transfer to a plate to cool and set aside.

3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and sea salt, stirring to mix evenly. Set aside.

4. Put the Whipped Earth Balance or butter in a medium, microwave-safe mixing bowl, then microwave for 40 seconds on high, until just melted.

5. Add the sugar to the bowl with the Earth Balance, and whisk vigorously until slightly lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and egg white, and whisk for another 2 minutes.

6. Using a silicone spoon, stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and chopped rosemary.

7. Add the flour to the bowl with the egg and sugar mixture, stirring just until fully combined. Fold in the rosemary, currants, and pine nuts. Dough will be wet and sticky.

8. Use the silicone spoon to spread the dough into a rectangle on the parchment-lined baking sheet. It should be about a 1/2-inch thick, 6 inches wide, and 12 inches in length.

9. Bake the biscotti for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool on baking pan for 5 minutes. Transfer the loaf onto a cutting board and use a bread knife to slice it into 3/4-inch slices.

10. Place the sliced biscotti back onto cooking sheet. Bake for another 12 minutes, turning once during cooking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.