03 Dec Gingerbread Biscotti

I’m always in search of great edible gift ideas, especially around this time of year. If you’ve ever made a homemade gift for a loved one you’ll know how appreciated it is! Since I had no biscotti recipes on my blog I thought this was a good place to start. Biscotti look beautiful when simply packaged in cellophane with a ribbon, or in a pretty glass jar. And who doesn’t love a crisp biscotti with their tea or coffee?

Traditionally biscotti are made with almonds or other nuts but  I wanted something a little different. I love the rich, spicy flavours of gingerbread and it’s rather Christmassy too. And so this Gingerbread Biscotti was born! All the flavour of Gingerbread but with a totally different texture – crisp and crunchy! As a happy coincidence, I was also invited to join in a virtual cookie swap this year with a Gingerbread theme! So if you love gingerbread, please check out the other delicious recipes from some talented bloggers below!

Biscotti simply means “twice-cooked” – first the whole log of biscuit dough is baked, and then it’s sliced while still warm and soft before baking for a second time until crisp. This second bake can be to your liking: although biscotti are usually crispy, if you prefer a softer texture then reduce the baking time a little (remember the biscotti will still crisp up on cooling).

Treats from Our Virtual Gingerbread Swap

• Ginger Molasses Cookies with Candied Ginger from Wild Wild Whisk
• Christmas Gingerbread Trifle from Sugar Salt Magic
• Gingerbread Orange Layer Cake from The Sugar Coated Cottage
• Gingerbread Cupcakes from Pies and Tacos
• Baked Gingerbread Doughnuts from Two Cups Flour
• Holiday Gingerbread Cake from No More Mr Nice Pie

Ingredients:

90g butter (6tbsp)
220g dark brown sugar (1 cup)
30ml molasses (2 tbsp)
10ml vanilla essence (2 tsp)
2 large eggs
350g flour (2½ cups)
7,5ml baking powder (1½ tsp)
2ml of salt (a generous pinch)
7,5ml ground ginger (1½ tsp)
10ml ground cinnamon (2 tsp)
2,5ml allspice (½tsp)

Approx 5 tbsp icing sugar, for dipping

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
• Cream together the butter, sugar and molasses for a few minutes, then add the vanilla and beat well. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Stir into the creamed mixture until combined.
• Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a log, about 30cm long and 5cm wide.
• Place onto the prepared tray and pat down to flatten the tops a bit. Leave space between the 2 logs as they will spread.
• Bake for 30 minutes, then remove and cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Slice each log on the diagonal into biscotti just less than 1cm thick. Place these back onto the tray and bake for a second time  – about 10 minutes. I turned mine over after 5 minutes to ensure they baked evenly.
• In the meantime sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Once baked, dip the top edge of each biscotti into the icing sugar whilst the biscotti are still very warm, then place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
• The biscotti will keep for about 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.