Sourdough Gingerbread Biscotti
These gingerbread sourdough biscotti are the perfect holiday treat to pair with your favorite cozy beverage. Whether you are a coffee or tea drinker, or you prefer non-caffeinated beverages, these delicious sourdough discard biscotti are sure to be a hit.
Why I Love This Recipe
I love biscotti (like my sourdough cranberry orange biscotti and chocolate sourdough biscotti) and like having them around for a delicious pairing for my tea or coffee. These sourdough biscotti are easy to make and can be made ahead of time. They are the perfect balance between warming spices and sweet white chocolate.

Special Equipment Needed for This Recipe
You likely have most of the equipment needed for this recipe:
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Baking sheet with parchment paper
- Whisk
- Large kitchen knife
Ingredients and Substitutions

- Flour: We use regular all purpose flour for this recipe but you can substitute some whole wheat flour here. I wouldn’t substitute more than half of the total flour though.
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and black pepper (trust me on this one!)
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used in this recipe but you can also use salted if you like. It will just make the biscotti a bit saltier (and more flavorful).
- Brown sugar: The brown sugar adds extra flavor and color to these biscotti.
- Molasses: Make sure you use unsulphured molasses rather than blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is very bitter and will affect the taste of your biscotti.
- Sourdough starter: You can use either active sourdough starter or unfed sourdough starter discard. It can be straight from the fridge or at room temperature. Either will work great!
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- White chocolate: We melt the white chocolate after baking the biscotti to drizzle on top. It is the perfect finishing touch and I highly recommend not skipping this step.
How to Make Gingerbread Sourdough Biscotti
Step 1: Preheat Oven
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Step 2: Combine the Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, and salt.
Step 3: Combine the Wet Ingredients

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, sourdough starter, molasses, eggs, and vanilla until appear light and slightly fluffy.
Step 4: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients

Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and mix until combined with wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Step 5: Cut and Shape the Dough

On a floured work surface, cut the dough into two equal sized pieces. Flour your hands and shape each dough half into a rectangle measuring about 12 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 1 inch thick.
Step 6: Bake

Time for the first bake! Bake the biscotti rectangles on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.
Step 7: Cut the Biscotti
Transfer the biscotti to a large cutting board and cut the biscotti width-wise into 1 inch pieces using a large kitchen knife.
Step 8: Bake Again

Return the biscotti to the baking sheet, cut side up and bake for another 30 minutes, flipping halfway through (be careful not to burn yourself). When done baking, allow to completely before the next step.
Step 9: Melt the White Chocolate
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in a small microwave safe bowl. You want to only microwave the chocolate for 15 seconds at a time to prevent it from burning. Make sure you stir in-between each interval.
Step 10: Drizzle the White Chocolate

Use a small spoon to carefully drizzle the white chocolate over the biscotti. The biscotto will look cleaner if you do this on a wire rack because the excess white chocolate will fall through the holes. That being said, I sometimes just do this directly on the baking sheet. I also like to dip the bottoms of some of the biscotti in the white chocolate to give them a little variety in their appearance. Allow the chocolate to fully set before storing.
How to Make Ahead
You can freeze the baked biscotti in a gallon freezer ziplock bag. I recommend storing them up to a month in advance before using.
How to Store
Store these biscotti in an airtight container or plastic gallon bag for up to two weeks. Because biscotti are baked until crisp, they have a longer shelf-life than most regular cookies would. This makes them a great make-ahead treat that is perfect for planning for the holidays.
What to Serve With Sourdough Gingerbread Biscotti
Biscotti is typically served with a warm beverage like coffee or tea. These biscotti work particularly well with coffee or a warm cup of chai tea to complement the warming spices in the biscotti.
Children can enjoy these scones with hot apple cider or a cup of hot chocolate.


Sourdough Gingerbread Biscotti
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon fine black pepper
Wet Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup sourdough starter or discard (active or unfed is fine)
- 2 tablespoons molasses unsulphured
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Drizzling on the Biscotti
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and black pepper. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, sourdough starter, molasses, eggs, and vanilla until slightly light and fluffy.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to mix until just fully combined.
- Turn the dough onto a liberally floured work surface. Cut the dough into two equal pieces.
- With floured hands, shape each half of the dough into rectangles measuring approximately 12 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle some flour over the surface of the dough.
- Transfer both rectangles of dough to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the baked rectangles to a large cutting board and use a large kitchen knife or serrated knife to cut the biscotti into 1 inch wide pieces.
- Return the biscotti to the baking sheet cut side up. They can be spaced very close to each other for the final bake.
- Bake for an additional 30 minutes, carefully flipping the biscotti halfway through.
- Allow to cool completely before drizzling with white chocolate.
To Drizzle with White Chocolate
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in a small microwave safe bowl. I recommend microwaving 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval to prevent the chocolate from burning.
- Use a small spoon to drizzle the white chocolate over the biscotti. You can do this directly on the baking sheet or on a wire rack. I also like to dip the bottom of a few of the biscotti for a little bit of variety. Allow the chocolate to set before serving or storing.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
These are delicious! I used Bobs GF flour and they turned out perfectly!
Delicious. I so appreciate the incorporation of discard to prevent waste and increase flavor!
Can the dough once mixed be refrigerated to ferment overnight and still rise enough when baked?
Yes you can refrigerate it before baking. They may need another minute or two of baking.