Sweets for the Sweet

On Christmas Eve when my man set my wrapped gift under the tree, he placed another present down with it. Although I had only met her once, his grandmother sent me a set of four glittery red boxes filled with saltwater taffy, caramel corn, and peanut brittle. How sweet! (No pun intended…)  

 

 

I wanted to thank her in my own special way: by baking her cookies. Yet sugar cravings don’t seem to run rampant in his family as they do in mine, so I envisioned something a little more subtle with a slight spicy streak.

 

 

The next day, I mixed up a batch of biscotti as the rest of my family tossed reindeer wrapping paper and shiny green bows around the living room. The cookies’ spicy aroma filled the house, but I denied everyone a taste to ensure I had enough to properly thank Sweet Grandma. With their perfect ginger kick and soft crunch, I couldn’t resist baking more—this time to share!

 

 

Double Ginger Biscotti

modified from this recipe

makes about 2 dozen cookies

These are perfect for dunking in coffee, tea, or even hot chocolate! They’ll keep for a few days if stored in an airtight container.

1 c. + 1 tbsp flour

½ tsp baking powder

⅛ tsp salt

1/16 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp diced crystallized ginger (about 4 small pieces)

1 egg + 1 egg white (or 1 tbsp Ener-G + ¼ c. water)

½ c. sugar

2 tsp almond extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and ground ginger. Stir in the crystallized ginger until it’s coated with the flour mixture. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs (or Ener-G and water), sugar, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir until just incorporated.
3. Pour the batter onto the parchment paper into a rectangle, about 2” wide and 12-14” long. Bake at 325° for 25-30 min, or until firm and not yet golden. Remove the parchment paper from the baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack for 10 min.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°, and line the baking sheet with a fresh sheet of parchment paper.
5. Slice the cooled cookie rectangle into diagonal strips about ½” wide. Place the strips upright on the new parchment paper, and bake at 300° for 25-30 min or until light golden and crisp. Cool on the pan for 3 min before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.