There is the rare day when I have an afternoon off work, which invariably is spent studying. I find I study longer and concentrate better if I have something hot to drink and a tasty morsel to nibble. Often I head to a coffee shop and pick out something new from the display, but with weather getting icy in the Windy City it's a good option to study at home as well.

This time of year, hot chocolate or a steaming cup of apple cider is always welcome, but my standard go to is a cup go black tea. As for nibbles, I've been making scones recently and thought it might be good to get a little variety, so I thought biscotti would be a nice holiday treat with festive flavor. I have some fun holiday spiced tea with cinnamon and cloves, so figured that gingerbread biscotti would hit the spot.

While I've made biscotti a few times, I am always surprised at how quick they are. They take virtually no time to mix up and bake quickly. The only thing which needs a few extra minutes is the time necessary to dry the cookies out after slicing them into individual portions. And even that is all of 15 extra minutes.

If you want to get extra fancy you can always melt some chocolate for dipping, but I was feeling lazy and got pretty hungry so my biscotti are naked. Tough life...

Ready?

Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.

In a food processor add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Pulse a few times to blend. Add in butter and pulse until cut into pieces smaller than a pea.

Transfer into a large bowl and mix in eggs and molasses to make a thick batter.

Split dough in half and form into 2 logs about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick on the prepared pan.

If you want shorter biscotti make narrower rectangles. BEWARE! The dough will expand a good inch on each side so leave enough space between the logs.

Bake.

After baked, allow to cool enough to handle the cookies. Cut into 3/4 inch strips and lie on one side on the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes and flip to the other side for another 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

If you want to be fancy you can melt some white chocolate to drizzle over or dip into. I chose not to, in favor of eating immediately. If I ever make them for a party I probably would.


Enjoy!

Gingerbread Biscotti

Adapted from Cristina Gomez on allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup molasses

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheet with silicone mat.
2. In a food processor add flour, sugar, baking powder and spices. Pulse a few times until blended. Add butter and pulse until the butter pieces are no larger than peas.
3. In a large bowl combine eggs and molasses and beat until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until a thick dough is formed. Do not over mix.
4. Divide dough in half on the baking sheet and shape each into a log 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, leaving at least 3 inches between logs.
5. Bake for 25 minutes then set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
6. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices and place back on baking sheet. Bake an additional 5-7 minutes on each side until crispy.