Biscotti Love

*Ginger Biscotti*

recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground white or black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cardamom  
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger 
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup toasted almonds

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together dry ingredients, stir in toasted almonds. In another bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and egg yolks until a light lemon color. Stir in the vanilla. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, just until combined. Divide in half and shape each half into a 13x2 inch loaf. Bake about 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time, until just starting to crack on top. Cool for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 325 degrees. Cut each cooled loaf into 3/8 inch slices. Arrange on baking sheet and return to oven. Bake 15 minutes, turning cookies over halfway through baking time, until crisp and golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Gingerbread cookies

• 2 cups flour 
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne  
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 large egg

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in molasses and egg. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients; mix just until a dough forms. Place dough on floured plastic wrap; pat into an 8-inch square. Wrap well; chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours.

bake in preheated 350 oven for 10 - 12 minutes 

from here

Candied Ginger Biscotti

Back before I logged my cooking and baking adventures on this blog I baked up a storm for Christmas.  To this day I wish that I had logged those recipes because everything turned out beyond  my expectations.  Now I know better and when I find a recipe that really worked for me I blog it, today is one of those recipe days.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1 cup almonds, toasted
1/3 cup candied ginger, chopped

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup almonds, toasted
1/3 cup candied ginger, chopped

preheat oven to 350 degrees with wrack in the center of oven. 

Sift first eight ingredients together in a small bowl. Stir in the candied ginger and almonds

Whisk sugar and eggs in a large bowl to a light lemon color; stir in vanilla extract. Sift dry ingredients over egg mixture, then fold in until dough is just combined.

 Halve dough and turn each portion onto an oiled cookie sheet covered with parchment. Using floured hands, quickly stretch each portion of dough into a rough 13-by-2-inch log, placing them about 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Pat each dough shape to smooth it. Bake, turning pan once, until loaves are golden and just beginning to crack on top, about 35 minutes.

Cool the loaves for 10 minutes; lower oven temperature to 325 degrees. Cut each loaf diagonally into 3/8-inch slices with a serrated knife. Lay the slices about 1/2-inch apart on the cookie sheet, cut side up, and return them to the oven. Bake, turning over each cookie halfway through baking, until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes.