Gingerbread Biscotti With Maple Glaze
Biscotti are one of my favorite desserts, or are they a breakfast item? Can they be both?
Either way they go great with coffee…so whenever you drink coffee, you can eat a biscotti too!
I did a lot of trial and error with this recipe. I really wanted to make perfect gingerbread biscotti that wasn’t flat and boring. A friend of mine is an amazing baker, classically trained, and has tons of experience. When talking to her about my projects, she mentioned to me that I didn’t need to bring my butter to room temperature. She had a list of scientific reasons that I don’t even remember, but I thought it would be worth a shot. I added more eggs, a little more flour, and started with butter right out of the fridge, cut it into cubes, and creamed it like I do with room temperature butter. It worked!! I kind of think it would have worked either way though, BUT just make sure that the butter isn’t too room temp that it is soft. That will make flat biscotti.
My mom and I always made biscotti around the holidays to go in our cookie boxes, so when I think of the holiday season, biscotti are a must. If you are a chocolate lover, you can add chocolate to these, but you can also make by chocolate chip biscotti with pumpkin pie spice.
Tips for making perfect Gingerbread Biscotti with Maple Glaze
*When creaming the cold butter with the sugar, make sure to cream it enough that it lightens in texture.
*Make sure the two loafs of dough are the equal size to ensure even baking.
*If the dough is sticky, use extra flour on your hands to shape the loaf
*Make sure to bake it just until the ends start to become golden, and the middle is set, careful not to over-bake.
*Cut the biscotti into 1 inch thick slices, on an angle. I usually don’t bake the end pieces of the loaf a second time…I just eat them!
*If you want the biscotti slightly soft in the center, only bake for about 5 minutes when doing the second round of baking. If you want them crunchy, bake closer to 8 minutes.
*When making the glaze, make sure that it is more on the thicker side if you want to make a pretty drizzle design on the biscotti. If it is too runny it won’t look as nice, but it will still taste good.
Gingerbread Biscotti With Maple Glaze
Author:
Maria Provenzano
Ingredients
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2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or cinnamon
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1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
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1/2 cup sugar
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1/2 cup light brown sugar
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2 tablespoons molasses
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2 eggs
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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Maple Glaze
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1 cup powdered sugar
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1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or cinnamon
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1 tablespoon maple syrup
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1-2 tablespoon milk
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degree
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In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined
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Place the cubed butter into a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (a hand-mixer can be used as well)
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With the mixer running, add in the sugar and brown sugar
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Cream the butter and sugar together until well combined, and starts to become lighter in texture, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl
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Add in the molasses
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Add in the eggs one at a time mixing well after each one is added
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Add in the vanilla extract
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Slowly add in the flour mixture, and stir until just combined, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
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Cut the dough in half to create two loafs about 9 inches long and 2 inches wide, making sure the two loafs aren’t placed too close to each other
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Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the sides start to become golden
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Allow to cool for about 20 minutes
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Use a large sharp knife to make about 1 inch cut diagonally to create the biscotti
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Place the cut biscotti on one of the cut sides and bake again for 5-10 minutes depending on how crunchy you like them! If you like them to be a little softer, bake closer to 5 minutes, and closer to 10 minutes for more of a crunchy biscotti
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Allow to cool and prepare the glaze
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In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice using a whisk
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Whisk in the maple syrup
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Whisk in 1 tablespoon milk
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Continue to whisk until well combined, if it is too thick add more milk, if it is too thin add more powdered sugar; you are looking for more of a thicker glaze that will be able to hold its shape
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Drizzle the glaze over the biscotti; to make it really pretty, pour the glaze into a plastic bag, cut off the tip of the bottom corner, and use that to drizzle the glaze over the biscotti