It’s pumpkin pie as a biscotti! With all the classic pumpkin pie spices—cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and a good portion of pumpkin purée, these pumpkin biscotti are reminiscent of one of our favorite fall pies.
But unlike a soft custardy pie, these cookies are what good biscotti should be—crispy and crunchy. They’re great for dipping into coffee, or eating on their own.
You can make these biscotti plain, or adorn them with sweetened dried cranberries and pecans or walnuts. Both work, though the plain version will be a bit crispier.
A few helpful tips about making biscotti
- Don’t attempt to make biscotti on a humid day; the cookies will absorb too much of the air’s moisture and won’t be crispy.
- The dough should be a bit wet and sticky. Add flour to the clean surface you are using to shape the dough and flour your hands well. That should help add just enough flour to the dough to make it easy to work with. If for some reason the dough is on the dry side, knead it by hand a few times and if it is still too dry, add water, a teaspoon at a time.
- Space the logs apart on the baking sheet, they will spread.
- Use a serrated knife like a bread knife to cut the biscotti. But don’t wait too long after you take it out of the oven after the first bake or it will be too hard to cut!
- Bake longer for more crunch: If you want your biscotti to be crunchier, just keep them longer in the oven during the second bake.
This recipe is a completely revised recipe from one originally published here in 2007. I always had issues with that recipe (too cakey, not enough flavor), and several readers did as well. If you would like the original recipe you can still find it here.
Pumpkin Biscotti Recipe
- Yield: Makes about 40 cookies
Measure flour by fluffing up the flour in its container, then do a scoop with a measuring cup, and level the top with the edge of a dull dinner knife (the « scoop and level » method).
If you don’t have molasses, sub out the white sugar and the molasses with one cup (packed) of brown sugar.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups of flour (330 g), plus more for shaping the dough
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 7/8 cup (175 g) of sugar (that’s 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons)
- 1 Tbsp molassses
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) of pumpkin purée
- 2 Tbsp melted butter
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries (optional0
- 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Method
1 Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, spices: Preheat oven to 350°F. Vigorously whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt into a bowl.
2 Whisk wet ingredients and sugar: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, molasses, eggs, pumpkin purée, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
3 Combine dry with wet ingredients: Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture a third at a time, stirring after each addition. The dough should be rather wet and sticky.
If adding dried cranberries or toasted chopped nuts, stir them in now.
4 Form the dough: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Sprinkle a clean surface with about 1/4 cup of flour. Scoop the dough onto the floured surface. Flour your hands and lightly knead the dough a few times.
Divide the dough in half.
Form the dough into 2 long logs, each about 10-11 inches long.
Transfer the logs onto the lined baking sheet and use your fingers to flatten them into long rectangles.
The loaves should be relatively flat, about 10 to 11 inches long, about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches wide, and about 1/2-inch high.
5 Bake: Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until lightly browned all over and the center is firm to the touch.
6 Slice biscotti and bake again: Let biscotti cool for 10 minutes and then use a serrated knife cut into 1/2 inch to 3/4-inch wide pieces.
Lay the cookies cut side down on baking sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes more, turning the cookies over halfway through the cooking.
Cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
