Easy Gingerbread Biscotti
Wow, your guests with these easy gingerbread biscotti cookies filled with festive holiday flavors this Christmas. They are tender, yet crispy, subtly spicy and super delicious. Drizzle them with white chocolate and serve with hot chocolate, tea or coffee.
Kick off your morning with the best golden brown Italian cookies! They are perfectly crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the middle. The dough is spiced with ginger and other festive spices that will fill the house with a glorious aroma as they bake. And let’s not forget the drizzle of white chocolate that adds a hint of sweetness to every bite.
Why this recipe works
Gingerbread biscotti with crystallized ginger is a yummy twice baked treat to gift during the Christmas season. Not only does this recipe make a fairly large batch, but the Italian biscuits keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
It is easy to make too! Simply form the dough into two logs, bake, slice the dough and bake again. It calls for ginger, cinnamon, cloves and allspice to give the biscotti its tasty flavor. Crystallized ginger, light brown sugar and molasses for sweetness and white chocolate for drizzle.
Ingredient notes
- Ginger: Combine good quality ground ginger with other spices and dry ingredients to give the biscotti its ginger flavor. Make sure your spices aren’t expired for best results!
- Crystallized ginger: This is ginger rolled in sugar and dried. It adds a strong sweet ginger flavor and chewy texture to the biscotti.
- Molasses: This sweet, smoky sweetener has a thick syrup-like texture and adds sweetness to the gingerbread biscotti. Use unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap, which is too bitter.
- Light brown sugar: Is the sugar of choice because it has a distinctive caramel flavor that works well in this gingerbread biscotti recipe.
- White chocolate melting wafers: Use good quality white chocolate melting wafers for the best results when drizzling.
Recipe variations
These cookies are very versatile and can be made with lots of different add ins. For example, You can give these cookies some crunch by adding 1/2 cup chopped pistachios before shaping the dough into logs.
For a more fruity flavor add 1/2 cup dried apricots or dried cranberries. If you are a chocolate lover, then feel free to mix in 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, semi or dark chocolate chips before shaping the dough into two logs.
How to make gingerbread biscotti
- Make the dough: Preheat oven to 350º F. Line baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Whisk flour, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground all spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Next, mix together eggs, molasses, and vanilla for about 1 minute in a separate bowl.
- Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Form dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts. Then place it on to a lightly floured work surface and form it into two logs that are 10 inches by 2 inches. Place both logs onto a parchment lined baking sheet and make sure there is a good amount of space in between each log.
- First bake: Bake the logs at 350 F for 30 minutes and let them cool slightly for 10 minutes.
- Cut the logs: Once the logs have cooled, cut them into diagonal slices about 3/4-inches thick. Then lay each slice face up on parchment lined paper.
- Second bake: Bake slices for 10 minutes, flipping the biscotti halfway through and let biscotti cool on a wire rack.
- Melt the chocolate: Melt white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Finally, use a spoon or icing bag to drizzle melted chocolate over baked gingerbread biscotti and serve.
Expert tips
Use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients. Most pitfalls occur when ingredients are measured incorrectly. Invest in a good-quality weighing scale to avoid this.
Let the logs of biscotti cool for 10 minutes after the first bake. This will ensure that they do not crumble when they are sliced. In addition, be sure to use a serrated knife and cut in a sawing motion to help the dough maintain its shape as it is being cut.
Flip the biscotti over halfway through. During the second bake, you must flip the biscotti over halfway through to ensure that the cookies are baked evenly.
Store gingerbread biscotti in an airtight container or holiday tin at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Add parchment paper between each layer to ensure that the white chocolate drizzle stays intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, place the biscotti in an airtight container and place parchment paper between each layer so the gingerbread biscotti doesn’t stick together. The container must be airtight to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost the cookies leave them at room temperature to thaw then bake them for 10 minutes at 350ºF to remove excess moisture.
You can chill the dough for about 30 minutes before baking however, it is not necessary for this recipe. The cookies will still maintain their shape if the dough is not chilled.
Traditional biscotti does not call for butter or oil so in this recipe, eggs and molasses are used to bind the ingredients.
Biscotti is supposed to be crunchy, but if it is too crunchy or hard then it was probably baked for too long. Dunking the biscotti in coffee, tea or milk when eating can help to soften them.
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Get the Recipe: Easy Gingerbread Biscotti
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses, (not blackstrap)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons crystallized or candied ginger, optional
- 1 cup white chocolate melting wafers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients—flour, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground all spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix together eggs, molasses, and vanilla until well combined, about 1 minute. Slowly add the flour mixture and crystallized ginger (if using). Mix until it forms a doughy ball, about 2 minutes.² Scrape the edges and bottom of the bowl if necessary.
- Flour work surface and transfer dough to the surface. Divide dough in half and form each half into a log about 10 inches by 2 inches.
- Place logs about 4 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, the surface will spring back when gently touched. Let cool 10-15 minutes.
- While the logs are still warm, move from baking sheet to cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut log into 3/4 inch slices on the diagonal. Place slices back on parchment lined pans, cut sides down. Repeat with second log.
- Lower the oven temperature to 325° F. Bake 10 minutes, flipping biscotti over half way through. The baking time depends on how dry you like your biscotti. Longer baking time (15 minutes) makes a harder, crunchier biscotti. Let biscotti cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, use a double boiler or microwave to melt 1 cup white chocolate melting wafers (see tips for melting chocolate here). Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the biscotti. Allow chocolate to harden and enjoy with your coffee!
Notes
Adapted from: Baking Illustrated and That Skinny Chick Can Bake
