These English Toffee Gingerbread Biscotti are spiced up with lots of ginger, all spice and loaded with pistachios and currants, then dipped in English Toffee! Perfect for your morning cup of joe!
So let’s talk biscotti, shall we? Ever make them? I know you’ve had them, they’re perfect with your morning cup of joe.
But I’m pretty certain you’ve never had ones like these. I’ve packed these little biscottis full of molasses, ginger, allspice, sweet dried currants, and crunchy creamy pistachios. All of that goodness is then dipped in luxurious melted English toffee, can you say delicious?
But ever wonder how they’re made and how they get to be so hard and chewy yet perfectly crunchy? The secret is that you bake them twice, which is what the name biscotti actually means, “twice-baked”. You shape the dough into 2 rectangles, bake them for 22 to 25 minutes, let them cool, cut them then bake them again for a few minutes and voila! They really are super easy to make.
Ingredients
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Sugar – Packed brown sugar and some plain granulated white sugar.
- Butter – Unsalted butter as always, we want to control the sodium content of our biscotti.
- Spices – Ground ginger and allspice – the key flavors of our treat today.
- Molasses – Molasses is key for ensuring our dough sticks together properly, it also will add lots of depth of flavor and some sweetness to our biscotti.
- Flour – All purpose flour.
- Fruit and nuts – Dried currants for sweetness and chew. We’re also using chopped pistachios. These are totally optional but life is short so why not?
- Eggs – The binder in our ginger bread.
- Baking powder – Since this isn’t yeasted we need to add some baking powder in order to achieve volume in our biscotti. We’re not using too much today as we want something that is still fairly dense.
- Salt – All baked goods require a little seasoning to balance out all that sweetness.
- English toffee – I found English toffee melts at Michael’s but they will probably also carry them in the baking aisle at your grocery store.
What Else Can I Use In My Biscotti?
You can use any type of nuts or dried fruit that you like best for this recipe. Alternatively, you can leave them out completely if you’d like. You can also add chocolate chips or coconut, just keep in mind the dominant flavors of all spice and ginger in our biscotti that we want to complement.
How To Make English Toffee Gingerbread Biscotti
- Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees.
- Form the dough: In a large bowl add the butter, sugar, brown sugar, ginger and allspice, then beat on medium until well combined. Add the eggs and mix until well combined then add the molasses and continue mixing for another 30 seconds until well mixed. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and beat on low until well mixed. Stir in the pistachios and the currants.
- Assemble: Transfer the dough onto your work surface and divide the dough into two pieces. Shape each half into a rectangle that’s about 10 inches in length and about 4 to 5 inches in width. Flatten each piece slightly.
- Bake: Place the logs onto a cookie sheet, making sure there’s a couple inches in between them. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges and the tops are cracked slightly. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F degrees.
- Cut the biscotti: Transfer the logs to a cutting board and using a serrated knife slice them diagonally into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch slices. Place the slices, cut-side down back onto the baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 more minutes, turn the cookies over and bake for another 7 minutes. The cookies should be crispy at this point. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Melt the toffee: Add the English toffee candy melts to a medium size bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir using a spatula, then place in the microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir again, it should be melted and smooth, if it isn’t, place it in the microwave again for another 15 seconds if needed.
- Dip each biscotti cut side down in the English toffee, and lay back on the rack with the candy side up. Repeat with all the biscotti. Let them set at room temperature until the candy coating is firm.
Can’t Get Your Hands On English Toffee?
I found the English Toffee candy melts at Michael’s, but you can use chocolate chips instead, same technique, melt them in the microwave until smooth then dip the biscotti in it.
How To Make Your Own Allspice
If you can’t track any down in the spice aisle, there’s always options. You can mix your own quasi allspice blend by combined 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves.
What To Serve With Gingerbread Biscotti
This cookie is made to be dunked, if you find it dry or too tough when totally dry I definitely recommend giving it a dip.
- Coffee, especially lattes and cappuccinos
- Black tea
- Fortified wine like port
Storing Leftover Biscotti
To freeze, place biscotti in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Take them out the day you’re ready to serve them, thaw them out on your kitchen counter for a couple hours then enjoy. I froze mine too, but I immediately pulled some out of the freezer to have with my coffee, so good luck with them lasting till Christmas.
Craving More Holiday Treats?
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Copycat Bliss Bars
- Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Icing
- Christmas Morning Wife Saver
- Walnut Roll
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Gingerbread Loaf
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Gingerbread Cake
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English Toffee Gingerbread Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted, softened, 1 stick
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 tablespoon ginger ground
- 1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoon molasses
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup pistachios roughly chopped
- 1 cup dried currants
- 10 ounce English toffee candy melts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees.
- In a large bowl add the butter, sugar, brown sugar, ginger and allspice, then beat on medium until well combined. Add the eggs and mix until well combined. Add the molasses and continue mixing for another 30 seconds until well mixed. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and beat on low until well mixed. Stir in the pistachios and the currants.
- Transfer the dough onto your work surface and divide the dough into two pieces. Shape each half into a rectangle that’s about 10 inches in length and about 4 to 5 inches in width. Flatten each piece slightly.
- Place the logs onto a cookie sheet, making sure there’s a couple inches in between them. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges and the tops are cracked slightly. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F degrees.
- Transfer the logs to a cutting board and using a serrated knife slice them diagonally into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch slices. Place the slices, cut-side down back onto the baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 more minutes, turn the cookies over and bake for another 7 minutes. The cookies should be crispy at this point. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Add the English toffee candy melts to a medium size bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir using a spatula, then place in the microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir again, it should be melted and smooth, if it isn’t, place it in the microwave again for another 15 seconds if needed.
- Dip each biscotti cut side down in the English toffee, and lay back on the rack with the candy side up. Repeat with all the biscotti. Let them set at room temperature until the candy coating is firm.
Video
Recipe Notes
- You can use any type of nuts or dried fruit that you like best for this recipe. Alternatively, you can leave them out completely if you’d like.
- To freeze, place biscotti in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- I found the English Toffee candy melts at Michael’s, but you can use chocolate chips instead, same technique, melt them in the microwave until smooth then dip the biscotti in it.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Would it make a difference to cut straight across instead of diagonal so they would be more uniform size?
Sure, you can do that!
Thanks Jo, seemed like a dumb question but wanted to make sure. I am a real fan of both of your sites and all your recipes and videos. Thank you also for leaving the name of the recipe above the video while it is on.
Not fond of currents, would cranberries make them odd tasting? I think I would just do the cookie without the toffee though
You can do cranberries! They’re sour, of course, so you can chop them up and toss them with a bit of sugar if you’d like.
You forgot to mention adding the eggs in the recipe instructions..
You’re right, thanks for catching that. Recipe has been updated.
I have just started following your recipes. They are delicious and easy. My husband used to hate the experiment night, but with your recipes, no problem. Thanks.
Thank you so much, Donnell. Let me know what else you try, I’d love to hear about it.
I love the way these look! Two questions for you. Can I eliminate the currents? The second is where did you get the English Toffee Melts? I always love all your recipes and have made many of them. Thanks and have a wonderful holiday season.
Hi Karen,
Yes, you can definitely eliminate the currants or replace them with something else. I mentioned in the recipe notes regarding the English Toffee Melts, I found mine at Michael’s but you can use chocolate chips or white chocolate would be great, whatever you like and can find.
Joanna,
I was reading my Women’s World magazine I had tucked away for Sunday night after all my baking was done and I happened to come across a page of your recipes!!!! I was so pleasantly surprised and happy to see them in there. I don’t know if I missed the announcement about it but congratulations!
I’m actually excited for more of your cookie recipes as my Dad told my Mom to “make something different this year, no tarts.” (Butter tarts with raisins are his favorite). I can’t wait to try these.
Hi Tricia,
Thank you so much! I haven’t seen the magazine yet, waiting for my copy, so I’m excited to see it. I haven’t made an announcement on that yet, I was waiting to receive my copy first. 🙂 Oh stick around for the 12 days of Tasty Treats, you won’t be disappointed, in the kitchen baking as we speak. And don’t forget to enter the contest to win the big Kitchenaid prize….coming soon, very soon. 🙂
Ive never seen Toffee Candy Melts. Where can they be purchased?
I found them at Michaels but you could dip them in chocolate or caramel that has been melted as well. It is mentioned in the recipe notes that we found it at Michaels
I think Santa would love these
HO HO HO…THANKS SARA!