Twice-baked gingerbread-spiced biscotti with crystallized ginger flecks and a gently crisp buttery crumb.
Two baking stages turn the soft dough into slices with a gently crisp crumb. Finely diced crystallized ginger adds visible pieces to each slice. Let the first bake rest before cutting, and hold the knife upright to keep the slices evenly thick.
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Gingerbread Biscotti Recipe
Per tray: 25 minutes first bake; 25–30 minutes second bake · One 14-inch log, then 16 slices on a 13 × 18-inch pan
Allow 130 minutes: 30 hands-on, 0 chilling, 55 for all baking trays, 30 cooling and 15 resting. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Electric mixer and bowl
- One 13 × 18-inch pan and parchment
- Ruler and serrated knife
- Small water spray bottle
- Cooling rack
- US measures and scale
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Make the ginger dough
- Heat to 350°F (175°C) conventional or 325°F (165°C) fan. Beat butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, baking powder and spices until creamy. Beat in eggs, then mix in flour and finely diced crystallized ginger. The dough is soft and sticky.
Form one even log
- On the lined pan shape a log about 14 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide and 3/4 inch tall. Smooth with lightly wet fingers. No chilling is required.
Set the log
- Bake 25 minutes until the surface is set and lightly colored. Rest on the pan 10 minutes. Reduce the oven to 325°F (165°C) conventional or 300°F (150°C) fan.
Soften the crust slightly
- Mist the top and sides lightly with room-temperature water, avoiding soaking. Wait another 5 minutes, then slice at a slight angle into 16 pieces about 3/4 inch thick with a serrated knife. Keep the blade vertical for even slices.
Dry the biscotti
- Stand slices on edge on the lined pan. Bake 25–30 minutes until very dry and lightly golden. They may retain a little softness in the center while hot.
Finish the crisp texture
- Cool fully on a rack about 30 minutes before sealing. These buttery American-style biscotti are gently crisp rather than rock-hard.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Keep slices even
Thick tops and thin bases dry unevenly and can topple.
Mist rather than soak
A light surface mist softens crust for slicing without wetting the center.
Cool before sealing
Warm steam in a sealed box softens twice-baked biscotti.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 2 weeks | Cool completely, then store airtight in a cool room. |
| Refrigeration | Raw dough: up to 2 days | Wrap dough tightly. Plain baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze a wrapped shaped raw log, thaw overnight refrigerated and bake once pliable, checking doneness. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze cooled cookies airtight. Thaw covered at room temperature. |
| Restoring | Before serving | If softened, dry at 300°F for 5–8 minutes and cool completely before resealing. |
Notes
- Brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg give a gingerbread spice profile without molasses. Two baking stages create the dry slice. Crystallized ginger supplies visible chewy specks, so these are not almond biscotti. The fifteen-minute inter-bake rest is included separately from final cooling.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why bake twice?
The first bake sets the log; the second dries the sliced cookies into biscotti.
Is there molasses?
No. Brown sugar, crystallized ginger and ground spices provide the gingerbread-style flavor.
Why did the slices crumble?
Use the short rest, light water mist and serrated knife, without letting the log become completely cold and hard.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
