Homemade White Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti Recipe

Gingerbread is, without a doubt, my favorite holiday season flavor.  I love the warm spices, which become more intense a day or two after baking. Homemade Gingerbread Biscotti is the perfect recipe for this time of year. These twice baked cookies have the best crunchy texture dotted with chewy tart cranberries, toasted almonds, and a pretty snow-white drizzle of rich chocolate. Bake a batch of these gingerbread biscotti for your holiday cookie swap or simply enjoy one as a spirited sidekick to your afternoon coffee.

Why I love Gingerbread Biscotti

• Classic gingerbread flavor: When creating this delicious biscotti recipe, I made sure to pack it with plenty of warm holiday spices reminiscent of classic gingerbread cookies. Tart cranberries provide some bright notes and a bit of chewiness in every bite.
• Perfect holiday cookie: Biscotti makes a great gift, as it can be prepared well in advance and is sturdy enough for shipping without breaking. And with its distinctive shape biscotti would be a welcome addition to any Christmas season bake sale.
• Unique and pretty presentation: I love a pretty cookie, don't you? These cookies have a decorative white chocolate drizzle that contrasts with the golden brown cookies, and they stack beautifully on a plate. I've included them every year for the past decade on my Thanksgiving dessert table, and people love to take them home for breakfast the next day!

Tips for Baking the Best Gingerbread Biscotti

Just a few helpful tips when making my easy gingerbread biscotti recipe

1. Start with the dough: After you add the flour mixture, nuts and dried fruit, you should have a stiff dough that is easy to divide and shape. Shape each half into an identical flat log, so that it rises evenly while baking.
2. Use a sharp knife: After the first bake, you will cut each log into several ½ inch slices. The best way to do this is by using a sharp serrated knife, which will help you achieve the neatest cuts. A very sharp chef's knife is a good alternative.
3. Bake them twice!: To get the perfect crunchy cookie, biscotti recipes require two bakes, one before cutting into slices and one after. In fact, biscotti translates to "twice cooked" in English. For the second bake, make sure the pieces are golden brown and baked through. They will continue to crisp once transferred to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Ingredients and Special Equipment

See recipe card, below, for specific quantities.

Gingerbread biscotti Ingredients

• All purpose flour: For a gluten-free biscotti dough, substitute an equal amount of a reputable GF flour blend. You can also substitute half whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavor.
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Ground gingerbread spices: Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
• Butter: Room temperature
• Dark brown sugar: Light brown sugar may be substituted
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs
• Molasses
• Orange zest: I love the unexpected hint of bright citrus flavor that this adds. Use more or less than I recommend in the recipe card depending on preference.
• Dried cranberries: Coarsely chopped. Substitute dried cherries, golden raisins, figs, or apricots.
• Almonds: Slivered or coarsely chopped whole almonds will both work.
• White chocolate: Finely chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips

Special Equipment

• Microplane or citrus zester (pictured above): This is one of my most used kitchen tools. In this recipe, I use it for zesting an orange, but it works for other citrus, chocolate, and cheese.
• Stand mixer or hand mixer: Biscotti dough is thick. You can use a hand mixer, but it will take a little more arm power to mix everything together.
• Sharp serrated knife: A serrated knife gives you the neatest, best results when cutting the biscotti into slices, but you can use a very sharp chef's knife, too.
• Plastic piping bag (optional): I use one of these to drizzle white chocolate over top of the baked biscotti. A zip top bag with the corner cut off also works!

Step by Step Photos and Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 350℉ for the first bake. In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, combine butter, brown sugar and sugar. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Add the eggs and beat well to combine. Beat in the molasses and orange zest.

4. Add the dry ingredients at low speed until combined and a thick dough forms. Mix in the almonds and dried cranberries.

5. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into two equal pieces, and form each piece into a log that is 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Place the logs 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.

6. Bake the logs 20 to 25 minutes, until they are lightly browned and the tops start to crack. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the logs cool 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325℉ for the second bake.

7. Transfer the logs to a cutting board or a work surface and carefully cut them into ½ inch thick diagonal slices using a serrated knife or another sharp knife. 

8. Place the pieces, cut side down, on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the pieces 10 minutes, and then carefully turn them over. Bake for 6-8 minute more, until the biscotti are dry and golden brown. 

9. Cool the biscotti on the baking sheets for 10 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

10. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30 second spurts at 80% power, stirring in between spurts, until melted and smooth. Decoratively drizzle the melted chocolate over the biscotti using the tines of a fork. Or, transfer the chocolate to a piping bag, cut a small hole at the tip, and then pipe the melted white chocolate over the cookies. Let chocolate set for 20 minutes before serving. Alternatively, dip half of each biscotti into the melted chocolate so that one flat side is coated.

FAQ and Troubleshooting your Gingerbread Biscotti

Do you love Gingerbread as much as I do? here are some more of my Spiced Sweet Treats

• Gingerbread Creme Brûlée
• Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Macarons
• Gingerbread Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Tried this recipe and loved it? Take a photo and tag me on Instagram or give it a review!