Hodgson Mill Flour Have a GRAIN Holiday Recipe Contest

A few weeks ago, Suzy and I made a list of the things we wanted to make on our Thursday cooking dates. One was holiday Gingerbread biscotti with a white chocolate drizzle. You may know by now that we love making biscotti together and have experimented and perfected numerous kinds — pumpkin, maple pecan, and cranberry almond and chocolate chip. We stick these babies in our freezer and always have a flavorful and crispy treat to dunk in coffee and share impromptu with friends.

But we’d never attempted to make Gingerbread biscotti, the recipes online just had way too potent a Gingerbread flavor and were loaded with butter or oil. So when I received an invitation from Hodgson Mill Flour to enter their “Have a GRAIN Holiday” Recipe Contest, I knew just what we’d be making. I dragged Suzy (very willingly I may add) on this exciting mission, one which kept us busy for a few hours and left us proud, full and happy with our accomplishment. We even included recruited a taster for the job had invited our friend Jenn for lunch and a biscotti sampling.

Without Suzy, my baking comrade, I’d have no entry for this contest, or at least one that was as darn smacking good as this cookie I’m about to share with you. When we set out to make the Gingerbread, we both agreed we like a mellow tasting cookie, one where the spices are subtle and not too strong. We also both adore vanilla extract and only think it enhances any kind of baked good, even if you’ve never seen that ingredient in something Gingerbread before. We weren’t sure about the inclusion of nuts or orange zest, so we decided to try two different versions and honestly they are both great. If you like Gingerbread you’re going to love this cookie!

Make sure you check out Hodgson Mill’s 25 Days of GRAIN Holiday Sweepstakes and check back in a day or two to enter my giveaway where you might just win $25 worth of Hodgson Mill flour — just in time for your holiday baking! And if you’re desperate to try Hodgson Mill flour, here’s a coupon for $1off any 5LB bag of flour or cornmeal. I hope you enjoy these biscotti and please let us know what you think of our recipe!

Gingerbread Biscotti
Makes approximately 48 biscotti

1 ¼ cups Hodgson Mill white flour
1 ¼ cups Hodgson Mill whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup molasses
2 eggs, 1 egg yolk*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces white chocolate

*Save the egg white and mix with water for the egg wash that will be used on top of the biscotti

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, mix together flours, sugars, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, molasses, eggs and egg yolk and vanilla extract until the mixture resembles moist sand. Transfer mixture to a flour dusted surface and mix with your hands until dough comes together. Separate into three pieces and mold into a log 6 -7 inches long and 2 inches wide, pressing down until the dough is about an inch thick. Brush the top and sides of the logs with egg wash. Place on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper at least three inches apart from each other and the sides of the sheet.

Bake in the center rack of the oven for approximately 30 minutes until golden. The logs will expand and flatten. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes. When cooled, use a sharp serrated knife to slice into pieces ¼ – ½ inch thick on a diagonal. Place the cookies flat side down and bake for about 10 minutes. Flip once and bake the other side for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Once cool, melt the white chocolate on reduced power in the microwave (should take 90 seconds). Place the melted chocolate in a small zip loc bag, seal and cut a hole in the corner. Squeeze on the chocolate onto the biscotti in zig zags, let the chocolate harden (you can place in the freezer briefly to speed up the process) and then store the biscotti in an airtight container.