Gluten Free

Gluten Free Pineapple, Ginger and Macadamia Nut Biscotti with White Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Biscotti means “twice baked.” First you bake a very rich almost cake-like batter, then you slice it and bake it again. And then you say, “Yum!”

The Inside Scoop

When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of sugar is 192 grams. By volume, this measure will be less than 1 cup.

Dried pineapple and macadamia nuts need to be chopped very fine when adding to biscotti; pieces should be no larger than 1/4″ square. This helps prevent excess crumbling when slicing after the first bake.

Spread chopped macadamia nuts on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (for easy clean-up) and bake in a 350 degree for only 5 minutes until aroma rises and nuts are lightly brown. Let cool before adding to batter. Pre-baking nuts helps to keep the nuts crisp and enhances the flavor.

“Mince the crystallized ginger.” Easier said than done. Crystallized ginger is very sticky. To make chopping the crystallized ginger easier, coat your knife with flour. You will need to repeat this several times until the ginger is very finely minced.

To prevent pineapple and ginger from sticking together in clumps, toss with 2 tablespoons of the gluten free flour.

Dried chopped pineapple and minced ginger tossed with gluten free flour.

Look for dried pineapple that is gluten free. Some dried pineapple is processed on equipment that also processes flour.

Combine the gluten free flour mix, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, ground ginger and nutmeg in a large bowl; mix until all dry ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the gluten free flour; this helps to ensure an even rise.

*The crispness of biscotti is primarily determined by the amount of butter in the batter. Add 6 tablespoons butter for a very soft, easy to chew biscotti; add 3 tablespoons butter for a crisper biscotti; add no butter for a very crisp, dunk-in-your-coffee biscotti.

Be sure eggs are at room temperature. Warm eggs hold more air than cold eggs, which means a lighter biscotti. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature before cracking, place eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes.

Crack eggs into a small bowl before adding to the batter. That way, it is easy to remove any bits of eggshell. Whisk eggs and vanilla together before adding to batter.

Make a well in the flour mix; this enables the flour on the bottom of the bowl to be mixed with the wet ingredients. Pour egg and vanilla mixture into the well; combine. Add chopped pineapple and minced ginger. Mix just until it forms a ball. Do not add nuts at this time.

Gluten free flours need time to absorb moisture. Refrigerate your prepared biscotti batter for a minimum of 15 minutes but no more than 1 hour.

When ready to bake, stir macadamia nuts into the batter; then shape your batter into 2 rhomboids, 6″ x 4″ x 1.” Leave plenty of space in between for expansion. Since biscotti are sliced at angles, the rhomboid shape leaves less wastage.

After the first bake, let biscotti cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Using a very sharp knife, gently slice off thin strips from the 4 narrow ends (these are the baker’s “taste tests”) at an angle. Then cut slices 3/4″ wide, continuing to cut at an angle, and carefully lay the slices down on a cut side. Return to oven and finish baking.

Bake bicotti slices for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove baking sheet from oven and carefully flip the biscotti over so that the bottom side of the biscotti is now on top.

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Pineapple, Ginger and Macadamia Nut Biscotti with White Chocolate Dipping Sauce

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By Connie Teunis – Serves: 7 2-biscotti servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes active, 1 hour inactive – Cooking Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

A delightful biscotti packed with pineapple, macadamia nuts and ginger and a delicious white chocolate dipping sauce for the perfect finish.

Ingredients

50 g/6 T Macadamia Nuts, coarsely chopped

120 g Dried Pineapple, chopped

30 g Crystallized Ginger, finely minced

2 c. Gluten-free flour mix, divided

¼ t. Xanthan gum

125 g./ 2/3 c. Sugar

1 t. Baking Powder

½ t. Baking Soda

1 t. Ground Ginger

0 - 6 T. Unsalted Butter, softened. See note* above in The Inside Scoop.

3 Large Eggs

1 t. Vanilla

2 T. Pineapple Juice of Milk

Icing (opt.)

120 g./ ½ c. white chocolate-flavored melting caps

2 T. Butter

2 T. Heavy Whipping Cream

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2

Chop macadamia nuts into small pieces no larger than 1/4" cubed. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (for easy clean-up) and bake for 5 minutes; cool.

3

Chop dried pineapple into small chunks no larger than 1/4" cubed. Set aside in a small bowl.

4

Mince crystallized ginger. To reduce ginger sticking to knife, coat knife with gluten free flour. Clean knife and repeat with flour as needed. Add crystallized ginger to chopped pineapple.

5

In a large bowl, measure out flour. Remove 2 T. gluten free flour and use to coat pineapple and crystallized ginger. Mix thoroughly to break up clumps.

6

In a small bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla.

7

In the large bowl, add all dry ingredients; mix in softened butter, if using. Make a well in the center and add the whisked eggs and vanilla. Stir to combine. Add dried pineapple and crystallized ginger; mix to combine. Cover and place in refrigerator for one hour.

8

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one very large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment paper.

9

Remove dough from refrigerator and gently stir in nuts. Divide dough into 2 equal parts.

10

Place each half onto parchment-lined baking sheets and shape into 6”x5”x1” rectangles; leave plenty of room between the two rectangles for rise and expansion.

11

Bake for 25 minutes.

12

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

13

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

14

Using a very sharp knife, cut a thin strip off the narrow ends, then gently slice the biscotti, using a sawing motion. The biscotti should be cut at a slight angle and slices should be ¾” wide.

15

Gently (so as to avoid breaking the slices) tip the slices onto their cut edges. Be sure to allow room between the slices for air circulation.

16

Place in 300 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully turn biscotti over so that the side that was on the bottom is now on the top. Return to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes. For an even crisper biscotti, reduce temperature to 250 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Let biscotti cool completely.

17

To make the optional icing: In a small microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate-flavored melting caps in a microwave at 50% power just until softened. Remove from microwave and stir to melt completely. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons whipping cream and stir until completely combined. If icing begins to seize, place in microwave at reduced power for another 15 seconds.

18

To store, wrap biscotti in plastic wrap, place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for one week. Biscotti can also be frozen. To thaw, place in refrigerator for one day so that biscotti thaws slowly and does not get wet from condensation. Place biscotti on a baking sheet and bake in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes to remove any moisture.

19

Store dipping sauce in the refrigerator. To rewarm, place in a microwave and heat on a LOW setting in 5 seconds increments, stirring every 5 seconds, until desired thinness is achieved.