If you have discard to use, you should devote some of it to these lemon biscotti. The sourdough tang intensifies the taste of the tart lemon in the cookies. A confectioners' sugar glaze decorates the biscotti and adds more sweetness to the cookies. And a little grated ginger gives the cookies a light zing. I bake the biscotti in the air fryer, which I've discovered makes incredibly light and crisp cookies. You can bake a dozen or so cookies and stash the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator for another day, meaning you can have fresh biscotti on hand in minutes, even with the double baking required. My husband really likes the biscotti and enjoys dunking them in his coffee. He noted that the glaze on the cookies also sweetens the coffee. I like the biscotti because they're easy, use up the discard I just can't throw out, and are nice and crunchy, which is unusual in sourdough cookies.
Air Fryer Sourdough Lemon-Ginger Biscotti Cookies -- Makes about 24
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard
1 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup of canola oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of grated ginger (yes, you can use the squeeze bottle of grated/ground fresh
ginger)
Sugar to sprinkle
Glaze
1 cup of confectioners' sugar
2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice
In a large bowl, combine the starter/discard, sugar, egg, oil, lemon juice, and ginger well. Stir in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until combined. Cut pieces of baking parchment paper just large enough to fit in the bottom of your air fryer basket. Drop about 1/2-3/4 cup of dough onto each piece of parchment and, with damp hands, shape the dough on each sheet into a log 5-6-inches long and 3-4-inches wide (put it diagonally across the paper, if necessary). The dough will be sticky and spread, so do the best you can. Sprinkle the tops of the logs with a little sugar. Put one log in the air fryer and cook it for about 15 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove it, and put in another log to cook. Slice the first log, length-wise, into slices about 3/4-inch thick. It's easiest to to do this with a ceramic or very sharp knife while the log is still hot (just be careful not to touch the hot log with your fingers), so the log doesn't crumble. Lay the slices on their sides (cut side down). Once you've baked the second log, remove it and put the slices back into the air fryer for their "second bake." Cook the slices for 5-7 minutes until lightly browned (no need to flip them in the air fryer). The biscotti will crisp up more as they stand. Repeat the process with the second and remaining logs or stash some of the batter to bake/air fry another day.
For the glaze, combine the lemon juice and the confectioners' sugar in a microwave-safe cup. Microwave them for about 20 seconds and stir the mixture well. Microwave the mixture another 10 seconds if necessary to get out the lumps and make sure the mixture will set. Dip the ends of the biscotti into the glaze and/or drizzle it over the cookies. Let the glaze set before serving the cookies (the glaze should harden up).
