Gingerbread Biscotti

I love biscotti and I can never have too many good recipes for these tasty treats. They're great to have on hand to serve with coffee or for a mid-afternoon snack and they keep a long time. This recipe is adapted from Fine Cooking. It's a different flavor than my normal almond, citrus, or anise scented biscotti and so it's nice for a change. Great for the holidays!

Molasses, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon combine for a gingerbread-like taste. I've substituted dried cranberries for part of the apricots and actually like them better. And added whole wheat flour. I love the spiciness and the slight orange flavor! Continue for recipe.

Gingerbread Biscotti
adapted from Fine Cooking #75, pp. 46

1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces (1 cup) pecans, coarsely chopped, and lightly toasted
4 ounces (1/2 cup) dried cranberries, plumped in ~1/2 cup boiling water first
1/4 cup molasses
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest (from about 1 medium navel orange)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and baking soda until well combined. Stir in the pecans and cranberries.

In a small bowl, whisk together molasses, eggs and orange zest. Turn the mixer on to low and slowly drizzle in egg mixture. Let mix until the dough is blended and begins to clump together.

Scoop out dough and divide into two pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a 10" by 1 1/2" long roll. Sprinkle with flour if it begins to get sticky.

Place the rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet about 4" apart. Bake until the tops are cracked and spring back slightly when lightly touched in the center, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove and place the sheet on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.

Gently remove the biscotti from the parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to cut them into 1/2 to 3/4" slices. Arrange them back onto the baking sheet.

Bake for roughly 15 minutes - this will leave them crunchy, but not rock hard. Adjust the time if you want them softer or crunchier - the may give when you press on them, but they will firm up as they cool.

Remove from the oven and place the biscotti on a wire rack to cool completely.

**Next time I might try only using 2T molasses and adding 2T of the water from soaking cranberries.