Crunchy biscotti filled with ginger, cinnamon, and molasses and drizzled with melted white chocolate. These versatile cookies are simple to make, keep for days, and are a great last-minute, no-fuss treat!

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It’s wild that I made these not that long ago. I made them in July (so, awhile ago) and they were the size of my baby girl that week. She was just a few inches long, and now she’s due any day and clocking in at around 19 or so inches. Just in time for the best Christmas present ever, my rainbow baby.

Why this recipe works

This was actually my first time making biscotti. I’m not sure why I started with something complicated like gingerbread—which requires a balance of spices as well as balancing the bitterness and added liquid of using molasses. It’s a tricky ingredient that I’ve unintentionally delved into in recent years, learning the nuances of how to use molasses to add flavor and texture. Which is extra tricky when you need to make something crunchy like biscotti. Baking it longer isn’t going to help, because it will burn the edges and make it bitter—which is already a battle when using molasses and spices! In the end, I substituted some of the butter and egg for molasses, which tends to work well for texture. It made these tender in the middle yet still crunchy on the outside without needing to over bake or burn the cookies.

As for the flavor, I used all brown sugar, which is almost a must with gingerbread. This created a warm sweetness. I also used my favorite balance of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, which has a nice pop of spice without being bitter or too earthy. And the white chocolate. It’s so simple, yet it really does take these to the next level, balancing the flavor of the gingerbread cookie.

Key ingredients

Flour. Always spoon then level the flour so you don’t pack it in.

Brown sugar. For this particular bread,

Ground cinnamon. Use a high quality cinnamon, so the flavor is bright.

Nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. There are so many combinations for gingerbread, but I like this one to give some flavor and spice.

Molasses. Avoid blackstrap, as it is much more bitter and also thicker, making it bake up densely. Light, regular, or unsulphured are best.

Butter. Unsalted is preferable, but if you only have salted, omit the salt from the recipe.

Baking powder. This helps create a lovely rise that’s not too airy but also not dense.

Salt. I prefer sea salt in my baking, but table salt works, too.

Eggs. Use fresh, room temperature eggs.

Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste).

White chocolate. You could optionally use white candy melts—use what you have on hand.

How to make gingerbread biscotti

1. Sift and whisk dry ingredients. Sifting isn’t strictly necessary, but I think it helps prevent over-mixing.

2. Cream butter and sugars. You want this to be nice and fluffy, so mix for a few minutes.

3. Add eggs, vanilla, and molasses. Add each of these one at a time. Ending with the molasses prevents it separating or taking on a curdled texture.

4. Stir in flour. Mix just until combined.

5. Shape into two logs. These should be about 10-12 inches long and 3 inches wide.

6. Bake. Bake until matte and beginning to darken on the edges.

7. Slice and lay on sides. Let it cool for a few minutes before slicing, so it’s set first.

8. Bake on each side. You only need to bake it for 5 minutes on each side. Use a spatula to flip each cookie, as they will be HOT.

9. Dip in or drizzle with white chocolate. I actually used white candy melts because it’s what I had on hand and they are more reliably smooth when melted. I preferred the ones dipped in the white chocolate, but both are delicious!

Enjoy!

Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe

What if my log cracks?

No worries! This will just make it look rustic and won’t affect the taste or make it fall apart. Slicing while it’s still warm will be helpful, so it doesn’t crack or crumble more. And even if it’s not the prettiest, the drizzled white chocolate will cover that all up for you!

How do I store these?

You can wrap them with foil or plastic wrap, or put them in a cookie jar or container with a lid that seals. If you use a truly airtight container, they may start to soften after a couple days. To maintain that classic biscotti crunch, don’t seal them too tightly. They also keep well in the freezer! Just let defrost for a bit before serving.

Do I have to use white chocolate?

No, but it’s definitely a good idea. It adds just a hint of sweetness to round out the spice of the cookie. It’s also just pretty and festive! You can add sprinkles or even use colored candy melts (like red and green) instead of plain white.

Do I have to use European butter?

Personally, I think it makes a huge difference. It’s creamier and has a very different consistency than sweet cream butter. Since you only have a few ingredients here, you want to make sure each one is of the highest quality. But don’t worry—you can often find it at places like Costco on sale!

Do NOT over mix!

These will become tough and lose their flaky tenderness if you mix them too much. Be careful to stir just until the dough comes together then stop. If you find any unmixed flour, you can pat that into the rest of the dough when you roll it out.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes! These will keep on the counter for up to a week. If needed, you can bake the biscotti then freeze them (well sealed), waiting until the ready to serve to drizzle with white chocolate. In that event, let them come to room temperature then pop in the oven for 5 minutes to bring back the crispy edges. After they cool, drizzle with white chocolate. Alternatively, you can make the dough and refrigerate it (well sealed) for up to three days before baking.

Spoon then level your flour

Don’t scoop your flour! I never knew this until I started blogging, but it seriously makes a big difference. You will end up with roughly 25% more flour than the recipe called for if you just doonk (official baking term right there) your measuring spoon into the flour container and scoop. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. Trust me! It makes a difference.

My tools

Here are my must-have tools for making biscotti! Affiliate links provided.

Stand mixer or handheld mixer

Cookie sheets

Baking mat

Cooling rack

White melting chocolate

You might also like:

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

Soft Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Shortbread

Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread

Frosted Gingerbread Loaf

Gingerbread Biscotti

Print recipe

prep time: 10-15 minutes
bake time: 35-40 minutes
total time: 55 minutes

servings: 18-22 cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups (408g) flour, spooned and leveled then sifted
1 tablespoon (15g) baking powder
¼ teaspoon (2g) finely ground sea salt
2 teaspoons (5g) ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon (1g) ground cloves
2 teaspoons (6g) ground ginger
½ cup (113g) unsalted European style butter, softened
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ cup (100g) brown sugar (light or dark)
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
¼ cup (70g) unsulphured baking/light molasses (not blackstrap)
6 ounces (170g or 1 cup) white chocolate chips (or white candy melts)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Line two baking sheets with parchment or a silicone mat.
In a medium mixing bowl, use a large fine mesh sieve to sift then whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter on high until creamed, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and brown sugar and mix on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, on medium, mixing for about 30 seconds after each egg, until well-blended. Add vanilla extract and then mix, starting on low then increasing to high to fully incorporate. Finally, add the molasses and mix until well-blended.
Scrape the bowl then sift in the flour and mix on low until fully incorporated, scraping the bowl if necessary.
Divide the dough in half and place each half on a prepared cookie sheet. Shape each portion of dough into a log that is about 10 inches long and 3 inches wide. Lightly flour your hands if needed, but avoid adding too much flour, as it will change the gingerbread coloring on the baked biscotti.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until each log is matte in appearance and has darkened slightly. Remove from oven (but leave the oven on) and let each log cool for about 10-15 minutes.
Once the logs have cooled slightly, cut into ½ inch slices. Lay each slide down on its side (so cut side up). Bake for 5 minutes then flip each cookie and bake 5 minutes more. Let cool on pan 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
While biscotti cool, melt your white chocolate. You can use the microwave at half power in 30 second increments or a double boiler (which for me is just a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with 1” of simmering water over low heat). With a double boiler, stir constantly until the white chocolate is mostly melted then remove from heat and stir until smooth.
You can either dip half (or most) of each cooled biscotti into the bowl of white chocolate or drizzle it on. To drizzle, let it cool 2-3 minutes then pour melted white chocolate into an unopened piping bag (propping the back up in a tall glass makes this easier). Snip a small opening (about ⅛ inch) off the end of the bag and drizzle as desired. Be swift with your motions to get smooth lines. If the white chocolate is too hot to hold the bag, wrap in a kitchen towel.
Let the white chocolate cool completely before serving.