Glazed Chai Spiced Biscotti

Imagine it’s a cold, blustery day in December and you’re home alone sitting in your favourite armchair. Except for the howling wind, the house is completely quiet making it the perfect time for you to read a good book while the lights on the tree twinkle softly. Only one thing could make this day better and it’s my Glazed Chai Spiced Biscotti served with a piping hot cup of tea!

Chai can include several different spices. Cardamom is the most common ingredient, followed by some mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc. Sometimes, ground black pepper, coriander, and fennel are also used, but they are slightly less common. In North America, chai is most commonly known as a flavoured tea – most likely thanks to the popularity of Starbucks. However, you can add chai seasonings to baked items too like these Glazed Chai Spiced Biscotti! They’re so delicious!

It’s getting cold outside which makes me crave comforting, warming treats which is why this chai spice blend is perfect for this time of year! There is nothing like a hot cup of chai tea on a cold afternoon. Having a chia spice blend on hand means that you can whip up delicious tasting recipes quickly and easily at home! For example, I made this Molasses Chai Spiced Bread and these Glazed Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies!

In the recipe card below, there are a list of ingredients to make chai seasoning at home. You can certainly purchased chai blends and use that if you wish. I always have a well stocked spice cabinet, so I tend to make my own blends rather than buy a pre-made blend from my local grocery store. The blend in the recipe card will make more than you need, but it’s always good to have some extra on hand for other baked goods. If you don’t want any leftover chai spice, use only one-third amounts of the ingredients listed.

EITHER YOU LOVE BISCOTTI OR YOU DON’T!

If you’re like I once was, and biscotti is not really your thing, I highly encourage you to try it. Pour yourself a nice hot cup of coffee or tea, whichever you prefer, and sit back and enjoy. I can’t think of a better way to read a book or flip through a magazine than with a biscotti near by and a hot beverage in hand.

Can I confess something else?  Maybe I’m too influenced by media, but I tend to believe that a biscotti is one of those cookies you should enjoy alone.  You know what I mean?  You see those people who sit in Starbucks with their lattes and a scone, cookie, or loaf, and they seem to be completely unaware of what’s happening around them.  They have their heads buried in their laptops or their books.  That’s how I imagine one should be when eating a biscotti. 

For me, it’s that unwinding moment when John is in his workshed or in the basement puttering away on something and I’m sitting in the living room with a book and a blanket. The whole world just seems to fade away and I’m left with only my hot beverage, a delicious biscotti, and the characters I’ve become obsessed with in the current book I’m reading. If it so happens that the Christmas tree is up and lit, all the more better! 

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So, welcome, Dear Reader, to my annual holiday-themed recipes. Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

This year I’m doing it differently. Rather than sharing multiple back to back series, I’m sharing a new holiday-themed recipe almost every day from now until Christmas Eve. For those of you who have followed my annual Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series, don’t worry, you will still get lots of new cookie recipes this year too. I will not, however, be publishing the cookies back to back in a 24-day series. This would have been my 8th year running the series and it becomes very exhausting, so this year, I’m spreading the recipes out so that I’m not sharing the same type of recipe every day.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

CHAI SPICE BLEND

The following section will discuss the ingredients needed to prepare the Chai Spice Blend of this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. First of all, you will need ground ginger. Ground ginger is fresh ginger that has been peeled and dried before being ground into a powder.  It has a pale yellow in colour and has a pungent, spicy smell.  It adds a warming, spicy flavour to recipes.

Next, you will need ground cinnamon. Cinnamon is a spice created from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree.   The bark is dried until it curls into a roll known as a cinnamon stick.  These are ground into powder.  Commonly found in baked goods, cinnamon is an aromatic with a warming flavour. We can’t forget about the ground nutmeg! Nutmeg is a seed that comes in whole or ground form.  It is a key ingredient in many baked goods and is essential to anything eggnog-related.  I often use it in fall dishes, especially in mashed potatoes!

Ground cardamom is essential, I think. Cardamom is a spice that comes from the seeds of plants in the ginger family. It has a complex flavor that’s warm, slightly pungent, and aromatic. Cardamom is used in both sweet and savory dishes. Next we will need ground allspice. Contrary to what its name suggests, allspice isn’t a blend of other spices.  Allspice comes from a dried brown berry from a tree.  It is a warm-tasting spice and is very aromatic. And, finally, we will need ground cloves. Ground cloves come from whole cloves which have been finely ground.  They are a flower bud that come from the clove tree.  Whole dried cloves look like small nails.  The name clove comes from the Latin word for nail.  They are extremely fragrant and commonly found in spiced cakes and confections.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Ground Ginger
• Ground Cinnamon 
• Ground Nutmeg
• Ground Cardamom 
• Ground Allspice 
• Ground Cloves 
• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
• Sugar
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Confectioner’s Sugar
• Milk

HOW TO MAKE GLAZED CHAI SPICED BISCOTTI

Measure all of the spices for the chai spice blend into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and baking powder until well combined and creamy. Next, add the eggs and beat them into the batter until well mixed. Now, add the flour and 1/3rd of the chai spice blend. Beat in until just combined. The dough will be sticky. Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet and form into a log. (Dust your hands with flour; dough is a bit sticky!) Form the log into a rectangle shape that is roughly 3″ wide and 12-14″ long.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the biscotti from the oven and place the baking sheet on a wire cooling rack so that air can circulate around the baking sheet. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Using the parchment paper, slide the log onto a large cutting board. Slice into 3/4″ slices across the width of the log. Place slices back onto the baking sheet which has been lined with more parchment paper. Slices are cut side down. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Carefully turn the cookies over and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

Once cool, in a bowl, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the biscotti and immediately sprinkle over the remaining chai spice blend. Allow the glaze to firm and harden. Package biscotti for gift-giving or pile into a food-safe container. Leave at room temperature, or freeze until needed for up to 3 months.

STORING AND FREEZING

These biscotti will last in the freezer for three months. Be sure you have a good container with a tight seal. Whenever I’m freezing biscotti, I always double up on the seal action. Before I place the lid on, I always drape a sheet of plastic wrap on top. Then I push the lid on. I just feel that the lid fits more tightly. Any little thing I can do to keep the frost out, I’m going to do it! I like to use tins like this.

Like I always say, if you freeze any baked goods, remove only the amount you want when you decide to thaw them. Fetch the container from the freezer and remove only what you need. Put the lid back on and get the container back in the fridge.

To properly thaw baked goods, place them on a plate or a wire cooling rack. Don’t pile them. Spread them out and give them some space. Let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. They will taste fresh and perfect every single time!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!