Sugar Free Gingerbread Biscotti
I had a conversation with my mum the other day about the beauty of biscotti. It stemmed from the fact that almost a year to this day, I shared her infamous fruit free biscotti recipe.
She asked me what home made foodie gifts I’d had intentions of making and sharing this year. I told her none. I also told her to have a look in my freezer.
She declined and said a flight to Sydney for such an endeavour was ridiculous.
Oh mother. I was clearly joking.
I then went into a big spiel about how biscotti was the one biscuit or cookie you could get away with over cooking because of it’s crispy factor- unless you turned it charcoal. Not that I’ve ever experienced that….
In Australia, it’s our iconic biscuit or ‘cookie’- the Tim Tam- which is designed for dunking in a cup of coffee or tea. There’s even an art to it- the infamous ‘Tim Tam slam’– Bite one end of the Tim Tam and dunk it in coffee or tea and well…suck the coffee or tea through the Tim Tam. Wow, that doesn’t sound anything below PG13.
Seeing as Tim Tams are only available readily here in Australia (promise you it’s worth the trip just for them- Ask Davs, Meg and Charlotte if you don’t believe me), the next best thing to dunk in your hot beverage is biscotti. Bonus points if it’s Gingerbread biscotti. Ten points to Gryffindor if the drink is a Copycat Starbucks Gingerbread Latte.
For this biscotti recipe, I trialled it twice- One standard version (which was gluten free and used sugar) and also a version using Natvia and Norbu- the natural sweetener based off stevia and erythritol. I find it imperative to trial out recipes a couple of times when offering suggestions or substitutions because there is the assumption everything can be swapped quantity for quantity when in reality- they can have huge repercussions.
Seeing as it’s the festive season, Gingerbread biscotti just had to happen…that and the fact that a peppermint version didn’t sound too appealing to dunk in tea. The combination of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon work well with the dried currants. After several friends on my blog’s facebook page requested more nut free recipes, I completely omitted them but feel free to add some in!
The irony- last year’s biscotti was fruit free. This year it’s nut free.
Maybe next year it will be just fruit and nuts and no biscotti at all.
- 1 cup gluten free flour, plus more for kneading, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 cup + 2 T Natvia natural sweetener/Norbu Sweetener (or 1/4 cup caster sugar)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried currants
- 1 cup raisins
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and sweetener of choice and mix until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla extract. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Slowly fold in the currants and raisins until incorporated. Do not over mix.
- On a floured surface, pour the dough from the bowl and lightly knead it until the clumps are removed.
- Form the dough into a log shape and place gently on a baking tray and put in the oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until slightly firm. Keep oven turned on.
- Remove the log shaped dough from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Once cooled, slice the dough into thin slices (about 1 cm each) and spread out back into the baking tray and put it back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Biscotti is best when eaten crispy. If you really want more softer versions, do not put back in the oven after cooling and slicing.
Have a great Monday stunners. Here’s to a….stunning start to the week.
Have you ever tried a Tim Tam?
Drinking hot drinks through a cookie- Genius or Kim Kardashian hoochy?
Did this recipe break the internet?
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I just made biscotti and remember how I loved them last year – I still do! I’m going to make your version next weekend!! And I’ll try to make them really crispy this time. I’m already excited, can’t wait for the gingerbread taste 🙂
Haha promise me you won’t let them turn black like I did…. oops.
I adore biscotti–seriously, I have a problem with this brand call Irene’s that I just mow through., I tried to make biscotti one time, and it was a total failure, though. I will just have to try again I guess!
Please do- I promise these are delicious!
Lurrrrve biscotti and just had some the other day. I started out dipping it in my coffee and then just ate like 4 pieces plain. So crunchy, so good and I’m allllll about the gingerbread these days. WIN.
Seriously, my house smells like a bloody gingerbread mansion.
I’ve never made biscotti before, but you lured me in with the GINGERBREAD! Do you think these could be made with regular flour?
Of course! My mum’s original recipe used standard white flour- I only had GF on hand. I’ve tried it with oat flour but it comes out more flat.
I really don’t even know if I’ve ever even had biscotti….I must have at some point….hmmmmmm
Please do- Starbucks sell it too, but they were slightly dry.
Yum! I love biscotti! I’ve never been a fan of Tim Tams… I’m clearly failing at being Australian lately!
Iced Vovo…yes? 😉
Yay more gingerbread lol… I’m obviously a big fan hahaha!! 🙂 and I’ve never tried a Tim Tam… After you’re description MUST Hahahah 😉
They are sooo good! come to Australia! 😀
What is with Aussies and Tim Tam? My friend Alex brought a pack of those cookies from Australia, I mean they’re kinda okay but your gingerbread biscotti look 100x better, not to mention how healthier they are!
Haha, cheers mate. It’s like oreos to you guys!
Mmmm I could totally go for some biscotti with my coffee right now. Never had a Tim Tam, but it sounds super tasty. I totally suck the coffee out of my biscotti. Ew, I feel dirty just typing that.
When we hang out next year, i’ll bring you some!
You are losing your PG13 crown!
Gingerbread is my favorite holiday flavor…and I love biscotti! So it goes without saying that I would love these. If you get in the gifting mood, then I would gladly take a batch (or three) off of your hands. Oh, and you totally need to try the American-style biscotti. They are more like a cookie than a crunchy Italian-style biscotti. Both versions are delicious…and both go great with coffee. (Leave it up to the Americans to add more butter to a recipe, though…haha!)
Hahaha I had one at…(oh God, I can’t believe I’m admitting this aGAIN) Starbucks lol, but it was ways too crunchy. I think it was off!
Ahhh – I love making biscotti this time of year and am obsessed with gingerbread (just made me a gingerbread smoothies this morning.) Can’t wait to try these – you crack me up with your “10 points to Gryffindor” 🙂
I saw that on Instagram and thought it was perfect timing- we have a heatwave here!
These sound AMAZING, and they’re sugar free, too? Get out of town!! PINNING 🙂
Thanks Becca! Less sugar = more consumption..right 😉
There are a few stores that I’ve seen Tim Tams in – but I’ve only ever seen one or two flavours. So basically, I need to go to Australia and stock up on all the rest 😉
YES. they just released red velvet and salted caramel. HELLO.
I’ve actually never made biscotti before! I know, I’m a terrible foodie. 😛 Love that this recipe is nut free!
We need a new hashtag- #chelseafriendly
Yes, I am a biscotti aficionado so this recipe gets pinned!
Thank you so much, Diane!
I don’t want to talk about gingerbread biscotti today. I want to talk about how you ended up in Malaysia to run around in a maze.
I WANNA DO THAT
Hahaha dude, it was hilarity- They gave us 3.5 hours to do it and I did it In 18 minutes….no joke and it wasn’t due to my fitness level lol!
You had me at gingerbread. I got some native delivered the other week too, so I am 100% making this. Perfect with a gingerbread latte. Nom!
YES! Whore out the gingerbread. Wait,can I say that word on here?
I grew up in Hong Kong and we had tim tams! My sister loved them and ate soooo many of them when she was a kid. Having gone to university in Britain, I think I’m more of a dark chocolate digestive girl (sorry, Arman, tim tams are great but nothing will beat a good ole digestive biscuit…), which I love dipping in tea. Since leaving the UK there have been no digestives in my life. Might be time to replace the digestive habit by dipping these biscotti in my morning coffee/tea instead 😉
Dude, you’ve been everywhere! Ohhh….I love a good digestive biscuit. I tried recreating them and royally failed.
Wait, this means you actually ate fruit. I can hardly believe it. Do you feel okay? Are you coming down with something?
The non-peanut butter, peanut butter Tim Tams are my favorite.
Oh Meg. I ate the end bits first because I knew they had the least dried fruit in them. Saying that, I snacked on dried (sugar entrusted) mangoes and papaya in Malaysia.
I bring you tim tams next year.
Confession: I’ve never had biscotti before. It looks violent. Like something you’d club someone with. I do like the idea of using baked goods as a straw though.
Dude…you need to try it and use it like at a straw. Maybe you could even use a banana.
These looks yummy! I have never made biscotti before, but I used to sometimes buy them at Starbucks. Pinned for later!
YES! I ate one at starbucks when I was in America but sadly, it was like a rock.
So far, I’ve only tried dunking digestive biscuits in my tea. These biscottis look like they have the perfect dunking potential!
Stop dropping British hints all the time.
….Please go to Harrods and get one of their giant digestives for me. It is INSANE!
Yep… I’m making these!
Hey Buddy! Good seeing you back around here again!
I want to TimTamSlam all night long. That sounds like fun. I just recently appreciated the cookie that is a biscotti, I’m usually more of a soft cookie lover. Vegan biscotti is not a common find so I’ve been wanting to try making my own. These look like the perfect addition to the coffee I’m drinking right now. Slam dunk the funk.
Ten points to Gryffindor for saying, “ten points to Gryffindor.”
Ohhh I’m posting brownies today and tried so hard to make a vegan one…next time buddy!
OMG, those look amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Jody!
Wait…I’ve never cooked with currant. Not normal. These look presh. I want to dunk them in ALL the gingerbread lattes!!!
It’s like the ugly sister to the raisin lol!
The tim tams are worth the trip!! i would legit travel 36 hours on a plane for those amazing pieces of confectionery miraculousness. I would also travel the same amount of time for these biscotti because i freaking LOVE biscotti (in fact its weird i didnt get one when we stopped in nyc… or did i? no i dont think I did) ok so to sum up – i heart all the food in australia 😀
Dude, come visit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will be at the airport with the tim tams and a biscotti. And a kangaroo steak.
sugar free biscotti are a beautiful thing
Thank you! It is!
I think I actually saw TimTams in the grocery store in Calgary a while back – now I need to look again and see if they’re still there because sadly, a trip to Aus is not in the budget 🙁
If not, I suppose I could stop being lazy and bake 🙂
Please come. I’ll make you a tim tam cake!
Sorry, we can talk biscotti (aka my love language) in a few minutes…I’m just trying to get over your description of a Tim Tam Slam, haha. Wondering if that’s something that will be in the upcoming 50 Shades movie?? 😉
Haha, Australians are just R rated.
These look so delicious. Think I can land a spot on the Queen’s “to see” list so I can eat these with her?
Cookies need milk and milk needs cookies (or pancakes/French toast/carbs). All about the drinking a beverage through a cookie.
Send me Tim Tams and these biscotti I’ll send you…Oreos? Milk’s favorite cookie!
You can throw a pie at the Queen please.
Can you just come here and I’ll make you tea and give you tim tams. The best of both worlds.
sounds perfect and delicious! Dunked in some hot coffee.. yes please!
For sure!
I’m just loving the fact that this biscotti is nut free – I imagine these would be sacrilegious on Lygon St!!
Oh I miss Lygon Street- It probably would but c’est la vie.
You’re my hero for
1. making gingerbread biscotti
2. sharing the recipe
3. casually bringing up a Harry Potter reference
4. for being team Gryffindor
1. Thank you!
2. You’re welcome!
3. OMG TODAY
4. OMFG TODAY
Drinking using a cookie as a straw–YES YES YES!
Yes. It’s great.
I’m such a huge biscotti fan. Maybe it’s the crunch? Maybe it’s the excuse to drink more coffee? Who knows… but these look great!
Oh it’s definitely the latter for me….I tried dunking this in tea and it was bloody punishment.
10 points to you for sharing more biscotti! I loved your first recipe so much I can only imagine these will be just as good 🙂
Thanks Sarah! I remember you making them!
These are delightful, my coffee screams out for them.
Biscotti was made purely to be paired with coffee 😉
I’ve never made biscotti, but I love gingerbread! Pinned!
You need to try it, Julie! So good with coffee (because it’s crispy haha!)
Sounds good! Can I omit the sugar entirely? Looking for a savoury recipe and can’t find one that uses no sugar AND no butter!
Hmmm I haven’t tried that- Sorry Arati! You could try and see how it works!
I’ll try it and let you know how it turns out!
Fantastic 🙂