Delicious pumpkin biscotti, twice baked and glazed with a sweet drizzle. A perfect side for your Fall coffee or tea.
Why you’ll love these pumpkin biscotti!
In the truest sense of the word, these Pumpkin Biscotti are biscotti, in that they are twice-baked. That said, as they are made with butter, they are a little more cookie-like than the super-hard, need-to-dunk-it-to-eat-it biscotti. I’m ok with that and I think you will be happy with these, too :)
You’ll also love that these pumpkin biscotti only need a small amount of pumpkin puree, so they are perfect for those little bits of left-over pumpkin.
These pumpkin biscotti are the perfect partner for your Fall cup of coffee or tea and you will surely love these wonderful warm Fall flavours!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Pumpkin Puree – you’ll want to use pure pumpkin puree here and not pumpkin pie filling. You will only need 1/2 cup, so these are perfect for the bits of left-over pumpkin from other baking.
Spices – I have used individual spices of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, though you can replace all 3 with pumpkin pie spice, if that’s what you have on hand. You may have to adjust the total amount, to taste. I haven’t included cloves in my spice mix, as I’m generally not a fan, but you can certainly add a pinch of ground cloves to your spice mix if you like.
Butter – as noted above, these biscotti are butter-based, so they will be a little softer than biscotti made with oil.
You will also need – all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, white sugar, eggs (3), vanilla and icing/confectioners’ sugar for the glaze drizzle.
Recipe Tips
- Once you mix up the batter, you will probably wonder how you will ever shape it into a log. The batter is quite moist and sticky. Simply spoon dollops of the dough onto the parchment, roughly making two logs (keep as much space between as you can, as they will spread!). Then slightly moisten your hands and start smoothing together into a log. They don’t need to be smooth, so don’t worry about that. Once baked they will smooth out.
- Be sure the biscotti is well set after the first bake, as they won’t bake much during the second bake (they only dry out during that time). If you’re not sure, leave the logs in the oven a few extra minutes, as you won’t hurt it at all.
- I actually love these on the slightly softer side, so I haven’t experimented with leaving them even longer in the oven. I suspect you could definitely extend the second bake time and make them a little crispier. You might also let them sit on the cooling rack over-night to really dry out. Either way, you’ll want to store these in a not-quite-air-tight container, to keep them from getting softer as they sit.
- These biscotti will keep really well for at least a week and probably longer, but they will also freeze, if you need to store them longer or are making ahead.
Making Ahead, Storing and Freezing
These biscotti keep well stored in an air-tight container. They can also be frozen up to 2 months (preferably unglazed when frozen).
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Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, reduce slightly if using salted butter
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree, not pie filling
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze:
- 1 cup icing/confections' sugar
- Hot water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300° F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl, as needed. Add the vanilla and pumpkin puree and beat well to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
- On the prepared baking sheet, spoon dough into two logs about 3 inches wide by 12 inches long (leaving as much room in between as you can as they will spread a bit). The dough is very moist and sticky, so using moistened hands, shape and smooth the dough as best you can. It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth. Your goal should be just to make it a uniform thickness and width, so it bakes evenly.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make the cinnamon sugar mixture by stirring together the white sugar and cinnamon. Remove from oven (leaving oven on at 300F) and sprinkle warm logs with cinnamon sugar mixture. Allow to logs to cool on the pan for about 10 minutes.
- Remove logs to a cutting board and using a serrated knife, cut into 1-inch slices. Return slices to baking sheet, standing them upright on the baking sheet, with a little space between each biscotti. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, then turn the oven off, but leave the biscotti in the oven a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, then remove the biscotti to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
- If desired, top with an icing sugar glaze. Add icing sugar to a small bowl. Add just enough hot water to form a thin glaze. Line cooled biscotti up so they are right up against each other (so the drizzle only goes on top and not down the sides). Drizzle glaze over biscotti and leave to set.
- Store biscotti at room temperature in a not-quite airtight container. Biscotti will soften somewhat the longer they sit.
Notes
More Biscotti Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
I love biscotti but never make it. Fall always seems like a good time to whip up a batch. I’d love to curl up by the fire with a cup of coffee and a few pieces of this pumpkin spice biscotti!
Thanks Leanne! These keep so well, too. Nice to have around this time of year :)
I remember these Jennifer! I’ve made them and they’re totally delicious. Perfect this time of year.
Thanks Mary Ann! I’ve updated the recipe a bit, with a bit longer cook time (so a little less soft) and I added a cinnamon sugar topping, just because why not :)
I wish I had one or two of these to go with my coffee this morning. I would be dunking my way to pumpkin happiness! Gorgeous color and wonderful recipe. A must try for me! Pinned :)
Thanks so much, Tricia :)
Can you solve a pumpkin problem for me? Here in Australia, pumpkin (and sweet potato) is usually a savoury ingredient/vegetable which is prepared from fresh, hence we don’t have canned pumpkin. Are steamed, pureed fresh pumpkin and tinned pumpkin interchangeable? If so, why do most US/Canadian recipes call for tinned pumpkin when fresh pumpkin is super quick and easy to prepare and cook? Is fresh pumpkin hard to find or is tinned pumpkin lower in moisture content, or a better texture or does it have other ingredients added? I’d be fascinated to know. I’ve never been a fan of pumpkin but I’d love to experiment with some sweet dishes provided it’s OK to use the ‘real’ stuff. Thanks!
Hi Chris and that is a really good question! First, yes, fresh pumpkins are readily available here this time of year, but they are mostly of the large variety that are carved up for Halloween or used as Fall decorations. They are huge and while they can be cooked up, my understanding is that the result is much more squash-like in taste, than pumpkin-like. As such, when it comes to cooking savoury, most will not bother trying to wrangle a huge pumpkin, and will opt to cook up the smaller and more plentiful variety of fresh squash available instead (butternut, buttercup, acorn, spaghetti squash).
This time of year, we do get some small, fresh, “Pie Pumpkins”, that some people will cook up for use in pumpkin pies. I suspect canned pure pumpkin puree is made from this type of pumpkin. And because the canned is good, pure puree and is so readily available, most people will just opt for that (also available year round!). So I’m not sure what type of pumpkin you are using for your savoury dishes, but I think it’s the smaller, melon-sized, “pie or sugar pumpkin” variety that you would want to seek out for use in sweet dishes. Hope that helps :)
Thanks! That explains it. We seldom see the big Halloween pumpkins here but we have numerous small varieties available all year round, plus fresh pumpkin is usually sold in wedges so we don’t have to buy a whole one if we don’t want to. Having said that, if we had the canned puree available here, I’d most definitely buy it! I think I’ll make up a big batch of pureed pumpkin (these can be my first experiment) and freeze the rest in cupful sized lots…
Sounds like a great plan. Let me know how you make out :)
I personally like biscotti a bit on the softer side.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll eat any biscotti, I never refuse one, but this recipe does have me wanting them all to myself! ;-)
Hubby likes his biscotti a bit firmer, for dunking them, his favorite way to eat them. :-)
The pumpkin flavor is a nice change up for me, especially since I really like pumpkin.
I will take advantage of the season and pumpkin is going to be in my recipes for these up and coming weeks……. YAY me!
I have to tell you that your pictures really are wonderful, great job Jennifer!
You always give me the munchies…..LOL!!
Have a wonderful day! :-)
Thanks Dalila :) Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
what could be better than this dipped into my late afternoon coffee? the perfect fall pick me up! and i like my biscotti a bit softer too. hate when it feels so hard you could break a tooth!
Thanks Cathy and yes, these are perfect for afternoon coffee!
Pumpkin and Biscotti- what could be better than this? I’ve never attempted making biscotti, but I will talk my pastry chef daughter into it! Thank-you for this delicious recipe.
Thanks Ellen and biscotti is actually pretty easy and quite forgiving. But then again, if you can get someone else to make it and you just get to eat, all the better ;)
I adore biscotti so I must try these for my next batch. Love the pumpkin spice and that pretty glaze!
Thanks so much, Laura :)
As much as I love classic biscotti, I am LOOOOOVING that these are more cookie like!! The flavor sounds perfect and these are SO pretty, Jennifer! Absolutely perfect for fall!! I would totally get outta bed a little earlier if these were waiting for me! Cheers!
Thanks so much, Cheyanne :)
Oh, how perfect and tasty are these, Jennifer! Biscotti is one of my favourite things in the world to eat and I love that these will be moist and soft. Beautiful!
Thanks Robyn. I am a biscotti fan, too :)
This is pretty much pumpkin spice perfection, I love biscotti and can’t wait to try making them at home!
Thanks Sara :) They are so nice to have around this time of year!
I love a softer biscotti and I’m sure the butter and pumpkin give this fabulous flavor. There is a German equivalent of biscotti called Mandelbrot. It’s made with butter and is not as hard. I make it in the winter and everyone who tries it goes crazy over it. This sounds like something similar and like a fun alternative.
Thanks Chris and yes, it does sound similar! I like this one soft, too :)
All I need is a cup of tea and I’m set! These are probably terrific just the way they are – no need to dry them out!
Thanks Tricia and yes, I really like them softer. A biscotti cookie :)
This is a brilliant way to get my favorite pumpkin flavor with some CRUNCH :) These would make great holiday gifts, I’m pinning and sharing!
Thanks so much, Sue!
I know I’ll love the fall flavors in this biscotti Jennifer! And my Mom is a huge biscotti fan, so when I go to visit her in Florida at the end of October these will be the perfect treat to take along! Can’t wait to try!
Thanks Mary Ann and I think she’ll love these. They didn’t last long here :)
I remember these!! Thank you for sharing them again because I needed the friendly reminder that I absolutely MUST make this pumpkin spiced treat pronto!! Can’t wait!!
Thanks Cheyanne! I am enjoying this latest batch. Perfect with my afternoon cup of coffee :)