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Chai Spice Biscotti

by:
February 19, 2013
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0 Ratings
Chai Spice Biscotti
  • Makes About 3 dozen 1/2-inch thick biscotti
Author Notes

For the longest time, biscotti was my baking nemesis. No matter how many different recipes I tried, I couldn't seem to find one that worked for me. The dough always seemed to come out too moist or too dry. Baked logs crumbled and broke when I tried to slice them. The finished cookies ended up either too soft or hard enough to warrant a trip to the dentist. But I loved biscotti too much to give up. After some tinkering with a few different recipes, I have come up with this recipe that has given me success. Fragrant with chai spices and black tea and studded with almonds and dates, these biscotti are dangerously addictive! Consider yourself warned. —k s

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/3 cups light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1 pinch ground cloves
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • contents of 2 black tea bags (or about 1 Tablespoon loose black tea)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 tablespoon almond extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped dates
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds
  • 1 egg white, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or a non-stick baking liner.
  2. Combine all dry ingredients (flour through to tea) in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to combine.
  3. Beat eggs, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a small bowl.
  4. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and mix until dough begins to come together (dough should be dry and shaggy). You may need to use your hands to bring dough together. If dough is too dry to form a cohesive dough, add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together. Add dates, almonds, and coconut and mix to combine.
  5. Shape dough into two flat logs and place each on a baking sheet. I chose to go with 8-inch wide baking sheets as I like long and skinny biscotti, but you can shape the logs to suit your preference.
  6. Brush the tops of the logs with beaten egg white and sprinkle each log with 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar.
  7. Bake biscotti logs for 30-40 minutes (rotating sheets halfway through baking time) until tops are golden brown.
  8. Allow logs to cool on a wire rack about 30 minutes.
  9. Slice cooled biscotti logs into 1/2 to 1 inch wide slices (depending on your own preferences) and arrange cut side down on baking sheets.
  10. Return biscotti to the oven, baking for another 20-30 minutes (flip individual biscotti over halfway through baking time) until biscotti is golden brown and crispy on both sides.
  11. Allow to cool and enjoy!
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5 Reviews

Don M.
Don M. December 22, 2016
These are strong flavoured biscotti and should be served with coffee, not tea. I would cut the spices in half, the after burn of the pepper and cardamom are unpleasant. Also required 3 tablespoons of milk to get the dough to come together.
 
ozbaker
ozbaker April 4, 2013
There is no mention of almonds in the list of ingredients, only in the directions (step 4).
 
k S.
k S. April 4, 2013
Oh my goodness! When I first published it some of the ingredients were deleted in the process. I thought that I had fixed all of them, but apparently I missed one! Thanks for catching that, it's been corrected now.
 
aargersi
aargersi February 20, 2013
These sound really good but you lost a couple of steps in your instructions - forming and baking the logs - maybe editors can add them back in?
 
k S.
k S. February 20, 2013
Thanks aargersi! I'm not sure how that happened, but I've emailed them so hopefully it will be updated soon. Thanks for noticing that!