Chocolate Candied Ginger Biscotti

When I worked in a bakery, our recipe bible was kept in a floured, chocolate stained three ring binder. Inside the pages held lists of the amount of ingredients for certain recipes and little else. There was no procedure or method, no baking times or oven temperatures. It was not even unusual for the occasional recipe title to have gone missing. In a way, this all made sense—a qualified baker should already be familiar with the preparation of the majority of baked goods. As I got a hang of the routine and the techniques, soon the recipe bible became a reference guide instead of a necessity as the lists of ingredients embedded themselves into my mind.

Approaching recipes in this way became a habit; a habit that has followed me out of the bakery and into my own kitchen.

When it comes to my own kitchen, I can develop my own recipes fairly successfully—a little of this, a little of that, and it tends to come out of the oven looking right. However, when it comes to following someone else's recipe, I tend to falter. As accustomed to ingredient lists as I have become, I barely glance down at the rest of the recipe before pulling ingredients out of the cupboard. As you may imagine, this method usually turns out quite poorly. At times I have missed the mark so greatly, I might as well have invented something completely different. I like to joke that I am losing my ability to follow recipes, but the truth is that I need to remember to actually read them.

It is a small, but important distinction.

Snowed in with another blizzard last weekend, I spent some time browsing through the pantry. Without the ability to head out to the market, the cupboards became my inspiration. As I debated whether to share another cookie recipe, I realized that I had never made biscotti. After properly reading through a dozen recipes for reference, I set out to create my own version. Biscotti is a bit like a cookie baked in a unexpected manner. While most biscotti sold in stores or coffee shops is bone dry, by making biscotti in your home you can determine the texture by adjusting the baking time. The less time you bake it, the softer it will be; the longer time you bake it, the crunchier it will be.

In a way, it is a like a choose your own adventure book (except it is a really delicious snack).

Chocolate Candied Ginger Biscotti is a sweet and spicy bite to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea. Essentially, biscotti is made by baking cookie dough into a log shape and, after removing it from the oven, cutting it into slices and baking it again. The mellow tone of the chocolate contrasts nicely against the bite of candied ginger. The biscotti is dipped in chocolate for an extra touch. On Sunday morning for breakfast, I savored one of these slices of biscotti with a hot cup of black coffee. It was bliss.

One Year Ago: Strawberry Balsamic Jam and Strawberry Honey Oatmeal Bars
Two Years Ago: Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce

Chocolate Candied Ginger Biscotti

Yields about 12 pieces

1/4 cup (57 grams) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (110 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon molasses, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (130 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup (40 grams) candied ginger, chopped into small pieces
3 ounces (85 grams) semi-sweet chocolate, melted (for coating)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the molasses and vanilla extract. Gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing until uniform. Stir in the chocolate chips and candied ginger. The dough will be sticky.

On a floured surface, form dough into a log 12-inches long by 3-inches wide and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake cookies for 25-30 minutes, or until the dough cracks on top and just begins to brown. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for ten minutes, or until the dough is cool enough handle. Using a serrated knife, cut the log into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices cut side down onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until the biscotti slices are lightly browned for a softer texture. For a crunchier texture, flip the biscotti over and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Cool biscotti to room temperature before dipping.

In a small rectangular container (large enough to fit the biscotti), melt the remaining 3 ounces of chocolate until smooth. Dip the slices, shake off excess chocolate, and place the slices onto a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper to dry.

Serve with coffee, black tea, or a large glass of milk.

Comments

[Monique]

They look perfect..any biscotti lover would enjoy..how great is Julia's quote?:)The molasses must add another dimension..
I am not great at developing new recipes..I can add here and there but I cannot say I have a file on my own recipes..

[Hari Chandana]

Wowwww... Looks so so so gorgeous and tempting.. thanks for the wonderful recipe.. love it :)

[Becca from Cookie Jar Treats]

I adore biscotti. I usually tend to under bake mine a little because I like the soft texture, but I still love it when it soaks up the milk I dunk it into.

These look positively gorgeous! :)

[Tori]

Love your shots/commentary/recipes! They're absolute perfection!

[Dena]

These look, in a word, amazing. I love the combination of chocolate and ginger. And your photos of the melted chocolate on the cookies is MOUTHWATERING. Thank you so much!

[Mari @ Oh, Sweet & Savory]

The chocolate glaze looks so incredibly decadent! Gorgeous post! I learned the hard way, too, to always read through the *entire* recipe before starting any work. What a time-saver that lesson has proved!

[Gourmantine]

Beautiful looking biscotti, I don't see so many dipped in chocolate, but chocolate makes everything better, doesn't it? And I bet they'd be a treat with Vin Santo!

[Marta @ What should I eat for breakfast today]

It had to be great to work in a bakery. I did work in one but as a waitress. I could try everything but never made it. And your biscottis are dipped in a chocolate - yummy!

[Dawnielle]

One word... Oooooo :)

Definitely adding to my collection!

[CateyLou]

All of my recipes are covered in flour / chocolate / butter stains too! These look so good, I want one with my afternoon tea right now!

[Bernadette @ Now Stir It Up]

I have made the mistake of not reading through the entire recipe many times. I always realize it when its too late. Mistakes are good sometimes. Everyonce in a while they create magic.

I love good biscotti. The candied ginger sounds incredible with the chocolate.

[bertawrites]

Wow! Went to food gawker to find a biscotti recipe as I had not made them in quite some time. Very first page I see on the website shows your recipe. Have the candied ginger and the chocolate chips. No molasses, okay great I see it is optional. I used convection cook at 300 and time for the soft version. Awesome paired with a glass of merlot....

[Migle]

Even though, the original recipe does not require any fat, but you can also get some softness by adding a little bit of oil. At least for me, this is a trick ;)

[Kiran @ KiranTarun.com]

Beautiful styling and so tempting!

[Milja]

Any idea on replacing eggs? thanks for the recepie

[Amanda]

Hei!
It brings me a lot of good feelings for a lazy, rainny afternoon. Thank you for sharing all these amazing recipes!

I just would like to know if it's ok replacing the butter with vegetable oil and the eggs with flaxseeds..

Thank you! and congratulations!

[Andrea]

Just stumbled across your blog and LOVED this recipe! Just finished putting the final chocolate touch on them and could hardly wait to munch on one (or 3...). Recipe was so easy to follow and after this recipe was such a success i looked through some others and i just LOVEEEEE your recipes!!! I must've opened 30 tabs in like 15 minutes full of amazing recipes i want to try!

Keep up the great work :)

[Kristin Rosenau]

Milja & Amanda--You should be able to use vegetable instead of butter and it should lend a very similar product. As for the eggs, I have no reason to believe a flaxseed egg would not work. However, I have not tried out either of these options so I cannot guarantee success. I'd love to hear how they turn out with these changes!

[Schweet Life]

These look amazing! I made biscotti once when I was twelve and while they looked good, they tasted disgusting. I've been thinking about giving them another shot and this looks like a great recipe to try. Thanks!

[Spencer]

Looks awesome. I reckon I could eat about 100 of them!

[Resep masakan]

So yummy... have to try this chocolate candied biscotti recipe on this weekend

[Emma]

Hey,

I've been wanting to make this recipe as it looks SO DAMN GOOD. But I have diabetics in the family. Would you be knowing how I could substituted ingredients like sugar (splenda?) to make it for my diabetic grandparents? They would love it. However even though I can replace it with splenda I'm not sure if this will change the texture? Would I need to substitute anything else? I do bake occasionally but am no expert baker.

Hope someone can direct me as these are by far the nicest biscotti I've seen :-)

Thanks!

[liz]

like everyone else, i love your blog like the deserts love the rain.

i have recently developed a major biscotti addiction, and decided that this year, they needed to be on the baking list. your recipe looks perfect (since i've also recently developed a slight addiction to ginger, after hating it most of my life. i blame my recent move to seattle), but i had a couple preliminary questions:

1. the tablespoon of molasses that is optional. i guess the best way to phrase this is, what would you say is lost by not including it?

2. the dry ingredients. are they added one at a time until incorporated, and if so, for a specific reason? or can i whisk them together ahead of time and still come out ok?

thank you for your time, and for your blog.

[Kristin Rosenau]

Liz-- I think the molasses adds a little more depth to the flavor, but it's more of a personal preference ingredient. Secondly, you can whisk the dry ingredients together ahead of time. I just find it too much work so I don't often do it. :) I hope these turn out for you!