Triple-Ginger Pecan Biscotti

This recipe was suggested to me by my friend Barb. This was part of a Christmas Cookie Bake-Along at a food board I belong to. It is from "The Good Cookie" by Tish Boyle. I am not a big ginger nut....but my 17 year old son is. He gives these a big thumbs up. I really enjoyed these, the heat of the ginger is lovely on the tongue and they are not rock hard as some biscotti are. Really nice dunked in a cup of hot tea...I will definitely add these to my Holiday offerings.



Triple-Ginger Pecan Biscotti

1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
5 Tbl. unsalted butter, softened(I used salted)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbl. peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup pecans-chopped

1. Position two racks near the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until well blended. About l minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the fresh ginger and vanilla. At low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Stir in the crystallized ginger and pecans and mix until combined.

4. Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and gather it into a disk (the dough will be quite sticky). Divide the dough in half. Sprinkle the surface with more flour and shape each piece into a 12-inch log. Transfer the logs to one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. With the heel of your hand, flatten the logs slightly, until they are 2 inches wide. Place the baking sheet on the upper oven rack and bake for 35 minutes, or until the logs just start to brown lightly. Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

5. Slide a spatula under each log to loosen it from the parchment paper. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting surface. Line the baking sheet with clean parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange the slices cut side down and 1/2-inch apart on the two baking sheets. Bake for an additional 18 to 22 minutes, switching the position of the baking sheets halfway through baking, until the biscotti are dry and barely beginning to color around the edges. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

My Notes: I toasted the pecans in the oven before I chopped them by hand, I like the flavor of the toasted nuts better in most things I bake. This dough is very sticky,
I used a marble board and really had no trouble with the dough. I lightly floured the board and my hands and I was able to shape the logs and transfer them to the baking sheet with a long metal spatula.