Ginger Nut Biscotti

Ginger Nut Biscotti is a perfect winter cookie!

Every Christmas I try to make some variety of biscotti. I’m not sure just why December seems to demand them. There is something very fine about sitting with people you love over cups of fresh coffee and some nice crunchy biscotti to dunk in, as we enjoy each other’s company. It makes you feel all warm and cozy inside.  These Ginger Nut Biscotti fit the brief perfectly!

Biscotti is very flexible stuff – you can bake up the logs ahead and freeze them. Then, just bring them out to slice and bake the second time when you need them. Once baked, they keep a good long while in a sealed container.

I was feeling like a crude American because I sometimes prefer to skip that second baking to keep them kind of soft. But, an Italian friend told me that plenty of Italians skip it as well, or only bake them until they are a little crunchy. I guess I’m on trend after all. Crunchy or soft, the combo of 3 kinds of ginger in these is just amazing. Then the combo of different chocolate drizzles is a great contrast with the ginger. I love chocolate and ginger together, like in these Whole Wheat Gingerbread Brownies.

It is great to have some of these in your freezer for the unexpected visitor. In just a short time, you can have them sliced, baked, and drizzled. It’s a pretty impressive treat, for anyone, expected or not!

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Ginger Nut Biscotti

Author: Donalyn

A gorgeous combination of flavors and you can make these ahead of time, to get a jump on your holiday baking!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Desserts

Servings: 4 dozen

Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Candied Ginger
• Dark Chocolate
• White Chocolate

Ingredients

• 3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup molasses
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• ¼ cup crystallized ginger, chopped fine
• 1 & 1/2 cups toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 8 ounces good quality dark chocolate
• 5 ounces good quality white chocolate

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and dry spices.
• In the bowl of your mixer, beat together the sugar and eggs.
• Beat in the molasses, oil, vanilla, lemon zest and fresh ginger.
• Gradually mix in the flour mixture, until fully incorporated.
• Mix in the crystallized ginger and nuts.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, and with wet hands, shape into logs, approximately10 inches by 3 inches, with two on each sheet. It is easiest to do this right on the baking sheet, kind of spreading the dough into the rough shape, and then patting in into place with wet hands – it’s pretty sticky. A bench scraper or some such is useful for tidying the edges
• Bake at 350º for about 20 minutes, and remove to cool on a rack. At this point, you can freeze the logs to slice and bake later if you wish – thaw completely before proceeding.
• Slice into about ½ to ¾ inch slices, and lay cut sides down on the baking sheet. For nicely crunchy biscotti, bake about 6 minutes, flip slices over and bake 6 minutes on the other side. You can bake less time if you want to keep a little chewiness in the texture.
• Cool completely on a rack.
• In separate bowls, melt the dark and white chocolate. [I do this in the microwave, at about 20 second intervals, stirring between each to get a good consistency.]
• Use a small fork – dip the times into the dark chocolate and wave over the top of each slice to get some nice streaks of chocolate, first with the dark, then the white. Allow to dry completely before storing in a tightly sealed container.

Notes

These can be frozen, but I would wait to add the chocolate drizzle until thawed.  Will keep at least a week or two in a tightly covered container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g

You can, if you prefer, just use one kind of chocolate drizzle.  In any case it’s important to use really good quality chocolate here.  None of those melting discs.  I made a few suggestions in the recipe, though you should be able to find some locally.

The double drizzle is definitely worth doing though.  The dark and light chocolates each impart their unique qualities.  Plus, they make Ginger Nut Biscotti look extra-fancy.  We like fancy things, you know?

Then make some tea or coffee – hot chocolate for the short people, and sit in the waning afternoon light, enjoying your blessings.

Ginger Nut Biscotti is also a nice addition to any holiday cookie platter or gift box. Make sure to keep plenty on hand for yourself, though!

Need a few more ideas for holiday cookies?  Check out Chocolate Espresso Spritz Cookies or maybe Snowball Cookies, a Christmas Classic for many people. Almond Shortbread makes everyone feel special, and there is always my personal favorite Chocolate Crinkles. Or just use the search feature, up on the menu bar and search on cookies – you’ll find something for everyone!