Jerrelle Guy is the young, vibrant force behind the popular food blog Chocolate for Basil (chocolateforbasil.com). On the site, she proclaims herself to have been “eating passionately since the 90s.”

Her recently published first cookbook, Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing, shares that passion with people who love to bake and who love stories about food. We get to know Ms. Guy through both avenues, as her culinary creations do, indeed, tell her story with no need for words, although her recollections work beautifully in tandem with the recipes.

The baked goods are contemporary versions of classics, such as Plaited Dukkah Bread (a braided loaf featuring the Egyptian nut and spice blend), Strawberry Balsamic Shortcake, Plum Chai Pie, Kombucha Muffins, and Banana Pudding Crouton Parfaits that use cubes of the beloved bread to offer texture. They are vegan-friendly and conscious of dairy and gluten intolerances. If not outright appropriate for those dietary regimens, the recipes offer substitutions to accommodate them.

Born in Florida, Ms. Guy was raised by a Southern-born father and a mother from Guam. She has won awards for her food photography and is studying for a graduate degree in gastronomy at Boston University.

Her culinary influences include Southern, Caribbean, and African-American cuisines; her grandmother, who baked intuitively but more out of necessity than passion, and what she calls “the magical world of the Food Network.” Her “food romance” began as she became entranced by losing herself in “softened butter, glass canisters of sugar and flour and the purr of a KitchenAid stand mixer.”

Ms. Guy writes: “This cookbook is about soul food because it’s about soul-searching using food. It’s about finding roots in food memories and building on those moments to move forward confidently with an unshakable self-awareness. My blackness is my origin point, my senses are the vehicle, food is my lens, and baking is my language.”

Let her speak to you with these sophisticated, slightly crumbly, and scented-with-cardamom biscotti. 

Honey, Halva, and Cardamom Biscotti

“Finding warmth in the middle of a cold city can be a challenge,” writes Jerrelle Guy of finding “social comfort” in Boston, where she moved for graduate school. “This is a recipe inspired by a coffee date with a new friend. We shared the drink of the day, which was coffee sweetened with honey and halva candy, and then sprinkled with ground cardamom. I’ve found that just like biscotti, your disposition can soften in the right company.”

BISCOTTI:

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup honey

½ cup tahini

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup nut or grain milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups white whole wheat flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

½ teaspoon salt

Sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Raw sugar, for sprinkling

GLAZE:

⅓ cup coconut butter

2 tablespoons canned coconut milk or evaporated milk

1 tablespoons agave or honey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 325F and have a lined half-sheet pan nearby.

To make the biscotti: In a large mixing bowl with a handheld beater or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the granulated sugar, honey, tahini, oil, milk, and vanilla until combined. Then add the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt and beat until just combined.

Divide the dough in half and shape into two 3/4-inch tall, 4-inch wide loaves on the baking sheet, leaving a couple inches of space between the loaves. Sprinkle them with the sesame seeds and raw sugar and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until they turn light golden brown and feel just set when lightly touched.

Remove biscotti from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Using a serrated knife, gently slice the loaves into 1-inch wide cookies. Tip the cookies on their sides and place back in the oven to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

To make the glaze: In a saucepan, heat the coconut butter, coconut milk, agave or honey, and vanilla until liquified. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, whisk in the powdered sugar, then drizzle over the cooled biscotti. Sprinkle with more sesame seeds, if you like.

Yield: 12 biscotti

Source: Adapted from Jerrelle Guy, Black Girl Baking

Contact Mary Bilyeu at mbilyeu@theblade.com, and follow her at facebook.com/​thebladefoodpage, bladefoodpage on Instagram, or @BladeFoodPage on Twitter.

First Published February 19, 2018, 7:30 p.m.