Gingerbread Biscotti | Take the classic beloved biscotti and give it a holiday twist with these warm and cozy gingerbread flavors. These twice-baked cookies are crispy and crunchy, spiced and satisfying, and ready to take a dip in your coffee mug this Christmas. My gingerbread biscotti recipe is great for Christmas cookie trays or cookie exchanges.
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I've said it before, but it's worth repeating – Biscotti cookies are one of my favorite cookies. I love the crunch, I love the dippable factor. I do not, under any circumstance, dip any other cookie. Just biscotti. And I think you should try it too.
My Gingerbread biscotti cookies are made with warming spices like ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground allspice, along with some molasses to really bring home the gingerbread-y flavor.
And I am a big fan of everything gingerbread. If you are too, try these Pumpkin Gingerbread Cupcakes.
What is the secret to making biscotti?
Biscotti cookies are Italian twice-baked cookies. The dough is baked once as a slab and then cut into the typical biscotti slices before baking it again, turning so each side gets crispy and crunchy.
Ingredients
About the ingredients for this recipe. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- basic cookie ingredients: you'll need butter, eggs, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and vanilla extract for the biscotti cookie base.
- the gingerbread flavors: to get the gingerbread flavors you'll need some ground spices: ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. You'll need some molasses and finally, a bit of ground black pepper, which I know might seem strange, but I always put a little black pepper in my gingerbread recipes. I feel like it really gives the spices a special pop. You can skip it if you prefer. But don't skip the molasses, it's pretty typical in gingerbread.
Instructions
Prep Tips
- preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C)
- line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper
To make the cookie dough, cream together the butter and sugar. You can do this in a stand mixer or in a bowl with an electric mixer or a spatula. It takes longer to cream butter and sugar together by hand but it still works just fine.
Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla, and then mix again. If mixing by hand, it's helpful to switch to a whisk now instead of a spatula.
Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and all of the spices to the bowl. Mix together well. If mixing by hand, start with a whisk and then switch back to the spatula as the mixture thickens up.
The dough will be very thick. Once it's mixed, move the dough to the prepared baking sheet and flatten it into a rectangular log shape, about half an inch high.
Bake the cookie dough log for 20 minutes and then remove it from the oven.
Carefully cut the log into one-inch thick diagonal slices. Turn the slices on their side and bake again for 10minutes. Flip the cookies and then bake for another 10 minutes.
Cool the cookies on a cooling rack. Biscotti gets crispier as it sets.
RECIPE TIP: Baking the biscotti dough as a log and then as slices is what makes biscotti so crunchy!
Substitutions
✔ This recipe is vegetarian
> Want to garnish the biscotti?
- Make a simple icing with powdered sugar, milk, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, and drizzle it on the cookies.
- Melt white chocolate and drizzle it on the cookies.
- Dip one end of the biscotti in white chocolate and add some little gingerbread people sprinkles!
Equipment
To make these cookies, I use my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. To bake the cookies, I use a large baking sheet and a silicone baking mat by Silpat. You can also use parchment paper.
Storage
Store biscotti at room temperature for about a week.
Tips + FAQs
Biscotti dough does not need to be chilled before baking like most other cookie doughs.
Recipe
Gingerbread Biscotti
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons butter (melted and cooled)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet with a parchment sheet or silicone baking sheet.
- Cream together the butter and sugar, by hand or in a standing mixer.
- Add the eggs, molasses and vanilla, and mix again until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix together.
- Flatten the dough on the baking sheet into rectangle about a half inch high.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Cut into one-inch wide strips and lay them on their sides on the baking sheet.
- Bake again for 10 minutes. Flip, bake another 10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
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This post was originally posted on December 8, 2017, and updated on December 05, 2022, for clearer instructions and nutritional information.
Rebecca says
These are phenomenal! I didn't have allspice on hand so subbed nutmeg instead, and they were still delicious. The colour is beautiful, they aren't too crunchy, and they aren't overly sweet. I will be adding a white chocolate drizzle once they cool. Thank you so much for this recipe. Looking forward to baking these as presents to drop off for my family this Christmas!
pipercooks says
I’m so glad you liked these, they are one of my faves. Good to know you were able to swap the spices. Thanks for the comment Rebecca!