Italy meets New England! Biscotti are Italian cookies. Biscotti means “twice baked”. This recipe is a spinoff from the New England classics, hermit cookies or hermit bars (spiced molasses cookies/bars) baked like biscotti. These gluten free hermit biscotti are perfect for dipping or crunching. Just “cut the sweet with heat” by adding plenty of ginger along with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and you get an amazing fall flavor.
Check out the video of the texture at Gluten Free Hermit Biscotti Video.
Also, find more Gluten Free Biscotti Recipes.
You may also be interested in the recipe for Gluten Free Hermit Cookies Without Molasses.
Did you know?
Did you know that “biscotti” is plural for the singular cookie, biscotto”?
What Type of Brown Sugar Will You Use?
While these cookies were made using traditional light/golden brown sugar you find in the United States grocery stores, you can use other types of sugar including dark, turbinado, and more. Be sure to read the “Notes” section at the bottom of the recipe if you use harder, larger sugar granules. Also, check out The Different Types of Brown Sugar article.
Gluten Free Hermit Biscotti
Ingredients
For the Biscotti:
- 1 cup Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger or less if desired
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (2 ounces), at room temperature (or dairy-free margarine)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed (dark, for less crunch)
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 beaten large egg (or 2 tablespoons liquid from can of cannellini beans + 1 tablespoon butter)
- 2 teaspoons milk of choice 2% cow's, almond, etc.
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup raisins golden or brown
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
For the Glaze:
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk of choice or as needed
- 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F; line a standard-sized (17x11-inches) baking sheet with parchment; set aside.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt; set aside.
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In the large bowl of your electric mixer or standing mixer fitted with the balloon or whisk attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until a little fluffy, about 2 minutes. (You'll beat it some more soon.) Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
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Add the molasses and beat until creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Add the half beaten egg and continue to beat until combined.
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Add the flour, in two separate portions, beating until just combined after each addition.
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Add the milk and vanilla and mix to combine.
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Distribute the raisins and fold in by hand using a silicone spatula or your mixer's paddle tool.
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Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap. Empty the dough onto the plastic wrap as best can across the sheet to form an 11 to 12-inch log. Fold over one-third of the plastic wrap to cover the dough completely. Then fold over the side. Slowly shape the dough into a log.
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Place the lined baking sheet in front of you with the longest side going from left to right. Place the wrapped dough closest to you on the baking sheet/parchment paper. Unwrap the dough. Then toss the dough over the edge of the plastic wrap, furthest from you.
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Then roll it out onto the middle of the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
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Flatten the log so that it is about 3/4-inch high and 3 to 4-inches wide by 11 or 12 inches long. Shape the log so that the shortest width is a little higher in the middle, creating a slight arch.
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Bake on the center shelf for 25 minutes or until it reaches the texture of cake.
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Remove from the oven. Lift the baked dough up, holding onto the paper and transfer to a wire rack to cool to cool on the paper for 15 minutes.
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Slice the log into 1/2 to 3/4-inch cookies/biscotti. For longer biscotti, you can slice them diagonally, though some will be short. Place them on their side on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, depending upon how toasty/crunchy you want them. (The video shows the texture of a first baking cycle of 28 minutes and then 10 minutes on each of their sides.)
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Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn the biscotti over. Reduce the oven to 300°F. Bake for another 8 - 10 minutes. Watch the cookies carefully during this baking cycle. Do not allow them to burn or over-brown.
To Make the Glaze and Cooling the Biscotti:
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In a small bowl or cup, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth but not super runny.
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Remove the cookies from the oven and set them on a cooling rack, without parchment, over the baking sheet.
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Drizzle the glaze over the sides of the biscotti in a back and forth motion, creating little lines of glaze that will drip down the sides of each cookie. Set aside to completely cool and until the icing sets. Store in an air-tight container with paper towels to absorb any moisture or simply in a tin cookie box layering each with a sheet of parchment paper. You can also freeze them in the air-tight container. Just defrost at room temperature.
Tips
If you use large brown sugar with large crystals such as turbinado, add the milk and vanilla in with the sugar and butter. It takes a lot of water/liquid to dissolve coarsely ground sugar. The little water in the butter or margarine isn't enough.
To Make Traditional Hermits:
Make the dough as instructed, but omit the 2 teaspoons of milk and reduce the egg to 1/2 beaten egg.
Then, bake in a 375°F preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until brown or cooked around the bottom edges.