CHOCOLATE AND GINGER BISCOTTI

(Makes 30)

INGREDIENTS: 200g plain flour; 1tsp baking powder; pinch of fine sea salt; 100g soft light brown sugar; 3 eggs; 50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped; 50g almonds, chopped; 75g candied ginger, chopped; 1-2tbsp demerara sugar, for sprinkling

METHOD:

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan and line a large baking sheet with nonstick baking parchment.

2. In a large bowl stir the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until a dense, damp dough forms.

3. Spoon the dough onto the lined sheet and shape into a log about 25 centimetres long and around eight to 10 centimetres in diameter.

The dough is pretty tacky and so won’t look all that neat, but will even out in the oven. Sprinkle demerara over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until firm to the touch and just golden – it should be cooked through but not hard, more like a firm sponge in texture with a crisper outer edge.

4. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely – this is important as the chocolate also needs to be cool before you cut the biscuits or they will end up being a streaky mess.

5. Set the lined baking sheet aside, ready for the second bake, and reduce the oven temp to 150°C/130°C fan. On a chopping board, and using a sharp serrated bread knife, cut the log into slices seven and a half millimetres thick. Arrange tightly on the lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, turning them all over halfway through, until crisp on both sides.

6. Take out of the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, these will keep for a month or more.