The biscotti/cantuccini obsession continues, and early this week I made yet another batch. Because it seemed like an interesting departure from the usual almond flavor, I chose “gingerbread biscotti” from Allrecipes.com. Along with making the house smell good, the biscotti were satisfying on so many levels that I’ll probably test a few different recipes to find the perfect “ginger flavored biscotti.
These were good, but not perfect. First off, I missed the nuts. Also, I wasn’t crazy about the oil. It made the biscotti easier to eat, but I sort of missed the initial suspense of “Will I break a tooth, or won’t I?” that comes with the first bite of the harder no-fat variety. Or something like that. I used to love biscotti made with oil or butter, but I’ve grown fond of the hard type.
So this recipe was good, but I do recommend adding some salt. I added a little over ¼ teaspoon plus a ¼ teaspoon of cayenne just because it enhances the spiciness.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve tried this recipe before, but I’ll have to try it again with your addition of cayenne pepper. That might just be the kick I was looking for.
Lisa, you might want to add a little salt too.
I love the hard ones too! Definitely would like to try a pinch of cayenne too…great idea.
Hi Anna!
Not to toot our own horn, but Fine Cooking has a great gingerbread biscotti recipe that I make every fall:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/gingerbread-biscotti.aspx
Sometimes I swap dried cranberries for the dried apricots. Do try them!
Here’s a link to the gingerbread biscotti that we make during the holidays. Tasty stuff!
http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/05/gingerbread-biscotti.html
Thanks Joe! I’m going to have to try that one, along with one I found on My Recipes (a Sunset recipe) and a Recipezaar recipe. Neither yours nor the Recipezaar recipe contains oil. The Sunset one calls for butter. It will be fun to compare all 4.
Hi Anna,
This recipe has great flavor and you could probably swap out some of the AP flour for the whole wheat.
Oops! Forgot to link the recipe! http://thecookiescoop.blogspot.com/2009/11/gingerbread-biscotti.html
I love your recipes! in particular your biscotti! Seriously, Im in love with them, I have this new blog and my very first post was one of your biscotti recipes, all my friends and family loves them! thanks (:
http://buttersweetmelody.blogspot.com/2010/02/biscotti-that-started-all.html
Anna- I don’t post comments often but when I do feel compelled it’s for good reason- the BEST gingerbread biscotti recipe in existence is from the Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar book.. I don’t know if that particular recipe is available on the internet but I’d be happy to send it to you via email if you’d like. I like them because they are spicy like gingerbread and you can control the hardness of the cookie based on the fat you use (I simply reduce the oil when I want tooth-chipping hardness) and the baking time/temperature.. But as a foundational recipe they are fantastic unmodified- firm but not rock hard, with chunks of crystallized ginger and the best flavor ever that seems to work amazingly well in biscotti. Check it out.. I’d even say, try the other recipes posted first and then try these because you’ll see how they are #1..
Thanks for the new biscotti suggestions. I will add them to the list! Jen, I will search the net for the vegan recipe and if I can’t find it, I might request the recipe from you.
In case anyone was wondering, like I was, here’s the link to the Vegan Cookie recipe.
http://vegetarian-recipes.suite101.com/article.cfm/vegan_gingerbread_biscotti_recipe
Thanks for digging up that vegan link, Lisa. I have a lot of gingerbread biscotti in my future.
Joe/FineCooking’s
Vegan
Sunset (My Recipes)
Recipezaar
I just came across your blog in my search for a great gingerbread biscotti recipe, and have to ask……Well, did you try all these recipes? If so, which was the best???? Thanks!