Fall and winter season calls for baking with pumpkin pie spice and this Pumpkin Biscotti is the best choice. These twice-baked biscotti studded with almond and cranberry are a great choice to bake during the holiday season to pass around to friends and neighbors.
Pumpkin pie spice is the new favorite in our house and the boys have been begging me to bake something with it. I had been looking forward to baking some biscotti for a while and it worked out perfectly.
Table of contents
I decided to bake some pumpkin biscotti using the pumpkin pie spice. Adding the almonds and cranberry was sort of a last-minute idea and I am glad that I decided to use it. It gave a very nice flavor and a bite to the biscotti.
If you have tasted the thin addictive and you love them, then this pumpkin biscotti with almonds and cranberries is a must-bake. Except for the the thickness, these biscotti taste just the thin and addictive.
What is a Biscotti?
Biscotti is very easy to bake and has a great shelf life. Biscotti literally means 'twice baked'. Basically, the cookies are baked once and then sliced and then baked again to draw out all the moisture hence making it ideal for long storage.
In the olden days, this was a favorite among sailors to carry along with them as they could be stored longer.
Biscotti can be made in any different flavor it is greatly adaptable for the occasion that we are baking for. This week, I am making recipes with January Produce and the first thing I want to work with is pumpkin/squash. This with the pumpkin pie spice fits right in for the cold winter days.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable recipe.
Flour - I use unbleached all-purpose flour for my baking.
Pumpkin puree - I have used the canned pumpkin puree for the recipe. Make sure to buy the pumpkin puree and not the pumpkin pie filling. We can also make our own pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin pie spice - I have used store-bought pumpkin pie spice.
Sugar - I have used white granulated sugar in the pumpkin biscotti recipe.
Egg
Butter - I have used unsalted butter
Baking powder
Vanilla - Use fresh vanilla extract for the best flavors.
Dry fruits - I have used almonds and cranberry in the recipe. Feel free to use pecans or any other nuts of your choice or they could be skipped as well.
Salt
Step-by-step process
- Prep Work - Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment or a silicon baking mat. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Whisk all the dry ingredients -1 ¼ cup Flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and keep it aside. (We will reserve the ¼ cup of flour for later).
- In another large bowl, add the melted butter and sugar. Beat it with a whisk until pale. You could do this using a hand mixer or stand mixer as well.
- Add the egg and blend it well.
- Now add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Now slowly add the flour mixture in 3 batches and combine well after each addition.
- Finally, add the cranberry and almond and mix it to combine.
- The biscotti batter will appear wet. Do not be tempted to add more flour at this point.
- Sprinkle half of the reserved flour on the work surface and transfer the dough.
- Divide the biscotti batter into two and working with one half at a time shape it into a log. Place the log onto the prepared baking sheet. My logs measured about 8 inches long. Flatten the log to about ½ inch thick. My final shaped log measured about 8 inches long and 3 inches wide.
- Repeat the same with the other half of the dough.
- Bake it in the preheated 350 F oven for about 25 minutes.
- Remove the baked biscotti from the oven and let it cool down for about 20 minutes on a wire rack. The logs would still be soft to the touch, and the edges would have begun to firm up. So be careful when transferring the logs to the rack.
- After 20 minutes, using a sharp serrated knife, slice the biscotti into ¾-inch-thick slices. Make sure to use a sharp knife as the biscotti could crumble easily.
Baking the Biscotti for the second time
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300 F.
- Place the sliced biscotti on the baking tray with the sliced side down.
- Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes and then flip the slices and then bake again for 10 - 12 minutes. The pumpkin biscotti must have hardened by now and appear dry.
- If the biscotti still seems a little soft, you could bake it for a few more minutes after flipping. I usually have good results when I bake them for thirty minutes flipping them every 10 minutes.
- Remove the pumpkin biscotti from the oven and cool them on a cooling rack. I like to let mine sit out in dry air for a couple of hours before I store them.
- You could serve this as is or dip partially in chocolate once cooled.
Expert Tips
- Do not be tempted to add more flour to the biscotti dough. The dough will be on the wet side and that is what yields the light and crumbly biscotti. Adding too much flour can cause the biscotti to become dense.
- Rub some flour in your palms to make it easier to shape the dough.
- Try to slice the biscotti into even slices. This helps in uniform baking.
- The time taken for the second baking depends on the thickness of the slices. If you slice them too thick, it could take longer. Keep an eye on the color of the biscotti and flip them frequently to prevent burning.
- If the biscotti is getting darker but still appears soft, reduce the oven temperature further and bake.
- Let the biscotti cool completely before storing.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, Biscotti has to be baked twice to get the crunchy texture that it is known for. This also increases the shelf life of the biscotti.
The key to baking crispy biscotti is baking them at low temperatures and flipping them in frequent intervals. If the biscotti is still soft after this, it could be because it is cut too thick. In this case, reduce the oven temperature even further and bake them longer.
Let the biscotti cool down entirely and then place them in metal tins or glass containers.
Biscotti can be frozen. We can either freeze the fully baked biscotti or freeze them when half-baked. This way when ready to serve, we can take out the slices and bake them until completely done.
More snack recipes
Recipe Card
Pumpkin Biscotti with Almond and Cranberry
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups All Purpose flour divided as 1 ¼ cup and ¼ cup
- ¾ teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Butter melted
- 1 large Egg
- ¼ cup Pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Cranberry dried
- ¼ cup Almond sliced
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment or a silicon baking mat.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Whisk all the dry ingredients -1 ¼ cup Flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and keep it aside. (We will reserve the ¼ cup of flour for later)
- In another large bowl, add the meted butter and sugar. Beat it with a whisk until pale. You could do this using a hand mixer or stand mixer as well.
- Add the egg and blend it well.
- Now add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Now slowly add the flour mixture in 3 batches and combine well after each addition.
- Finally add the cranberry and almond and mix it to combine.
- The biscotti batter/ dough will appear wet. Do not be tempted to add more flour at this point.
- Sprinkle half of the reserved flour on the work surface and transfer the dough.
- Divide the biscotti batter into two and working with one half at a time shape it into a log. Place the log onto the prepared baking sheet. My logs measured about 8 inches long. Flatten the log to about ½ inch thick . My final shaped log measured about 8 inches long and 3 inches wide.
- Repeat the same with the other half of the dough.
- Bake it in the preheated 350 F oven for about 25 minutes.
- Remove the baked biscotti from the oven let it cool down for about 20 minutes on a wire rack. The logs would still be soft to touch and edges would have begun to firm up. So be careful when transferring the logs to the rack.
- After 20 minutes, using a sharp serrated knife, slice the biscotti into ¾ inch thick slices. Make sure to use a sharp knife as the biscotti could crumble easily.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300 F.
- Place the sliced biscotti on the baking tray with the sliced side down.
- Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes and then flip the slices and then bake again for 10 - 12 minutes. The pumpkin biscotti must have hardened by now and also appear dry.
- If the biscotti still seems a little soft, you could bake it for few more minutes after flipping. I usually have good results when I bake them for thirty minutes flipping them every 10 minutes.
- Remove the pumpkin biscotti from the oven and cool them on a cooling rack. I like to let mine sit out in dry air for couple of hours before I store them.
- You could serve this as is or dip partially in chocolate once cooled.
Notes
- Do not be tempted to add more flour to the biscotti dough. The dough will be on the wet side and that is what yields the light and crumbly biscotti. Adding too much flour can cause the biscotti to become dense.
- Rub some flour in your palms to make it easier to shape the dough.
- Try to slice the biscotti in to even slices. This helps in uniform baking.
- The time taken to for the second baking depends on the thickness of the slices. If you sliced them too thick, it could take longer. Keep an eye on the color of the biscotti and flip them frequently to prevent burning.
- If the biscotti is getting darker but still appears soft, reduce the oven temperature further and bake.
- Let the biscotti cool completely before storing.
Lakshmi Dasari says
Yummy Recipe👌
Sandhya says
Thank you Lakshmi!
Radha says
These look and sound delicious! I love biscotti and make the eggless version often. The pumpkin and pumpkin spice, is a fall heaven!
Sandhya says
Thanks Radha. I agree. The pumpkin spice adds so much flavor.
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan says
The biscotti has come out really well. Love the addition of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. Perfect for this season.
Sandhya says
Thank you Srividhya!
Amara Annapaneni says
They look super delicious Sandhya
Sandhya says
Thanks Amara!
Narmadha says
I could not resist your picture and landed up here. Looks too delicious. Have been looking for some different recipes with pumpkin and I am going to try this over the weekend.
Sandhya says
Thanks a lot Narmadha! Hope you get to try it. This biscotti is one of our favorite.
Harini Rupanagudi says
The pumpkin biscotti looks amazing and my kids would definitely love them
Suma Gandlur says
Biscotti are a favorite at our home too. These pumpkin flavored ones make a great addition to fall recipes or a fall themed goodie bag.
April C says
I made these with my homegrown pumpkin purée. I used fresh cranberries and walnuts.
I was leery about not adding more flour. I wasted most of the 1/4 cup used for the counter to pat it into a loaf. The consistency is great.
I will definitely make another batch.
I did have trouble melting the white chocolate chips. I think they will be fine without a drizzle.
Sandhya says
Thanks a lot for your feedback. White chocolate drizzle is a great idea but I agree that they are hard to melt.
Mary Kate says
Delicious! Followed recipe exactly and very pleased with the results.
Sandhya says
Thank you so much for your feedback. We love making these pumpkin biscotti for holidays to share with friends and family.