Pumpkin Biscotti

Recently I was standing in the bakery aisle at Whole Foods sampling the goodies on display when a mother and daughter excused themselves to grab some Vanilla Pistachio Biscotti that was infront of me on the shelf. The mother quickly told the daughter "grab two!" The mother looked at me and enthusiastically said that they were the best biscotti they had ever tasted and that they were only 25 calories a piece! A little pricey, $6.99 a box, I picked them up hesitantly and looked them over and held onto them (until the mother and daughter duo has disappeared down another aisle) and then placed them back on the shelf. How funny, I guess I was practicing supermarket etiquette...I was afraid that they might be offended if I didn't take their opinion of how delicious these biscotti were by not purchasing them myself. I finished the rest of my grocery shopping and then impulsively right before checking out, I decided to go back to the bakery aisle and get those darn biscotti cookies. What did I have to lose, besides $7?

Well was I glad I bought those cookies because they were delicious! They were very airy and light, not tough like your traditional biscotti cookies. They were almost like a wafer. The ingredients were so simple too: Egg Whites, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, All Natural Unbleached Wheat Flour, Pistachios, Pure Vanilla Extract and Lemon Powder. I was inspired to make my own so I started doing some research online about making homemade biscotti. I ran across a recipe for Pumpkin Biscotti and knew I had to try it.

Pumpkin Biscotti

Final Product - Pumpkin Biscotti

I found a recipe on www.SimplyRecipes.com that is pretty close to what I created. I put the changes I made in highlight below.

Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 90 Min

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of sugar  (I did 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup Agave Nectar and 1/4 cup Honey)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (I used about 2 tbs of cinnamon)
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg  (I used about 2 tsp of nutmeg)
• Pinch of ginger
• Pinch of cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of pumpkin purée
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• (I added about a 1/2 cup of dried fruits - raisins, apples)

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, dried fruits and spices into a large bowl.

NOTE: If you use honey or agave nectar as substitutes for sugar, be aware that they add more moisture to your dough, so your biscotti will take longer to dehydrate. Another good substitute to use would be evaporated cane sugar. I didn't have that on hand at the time so I used honey and agave.

- In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Give it a rough stir to generally incorporate the ingredients, the dough will be very crumbly.

- Flour your hands and a clean kitchen surface and lightly knead the dough. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Form the dough into a large log or into two smaller logs. The loaves should be relatively flat, only about 1/2 inch high. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 F, until the center is firm to the touch. 

Biscotti shaped into 1/2 inch high loaves in the oven

- Let biscotti cool for 20 minutes and then using a serrated knife cut into 1 inch wide pieces. Lay the pieces on their sides. Reduce the oven to 300 F and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Then flip the pieces and bake the other sides for an additional 15 minutes.

Biscotti pieces - sliced and dehydrating in the oven

- Biscotti may be still a tad moist and chewy, so if you prefer it crisp you can turn the oven on low say 170 F - 200 F and continue to let it dehydrate for another hour or so. Let cool completely and store in a airtight container. Makes approximately 15 cookies.

These cookies were very good and have that hint of pumpkin perfect for the Fall season. A great holiday gift idea would be to dip one half of each cookie in chocolate and then lay on wax paper in the fridge to harden. These cookies were crispy and perfect for dunking in hot coffee like traditional biscotti. Next time I will try to make the very airy Pistachio Biscotti by using egg whites and beating them until fluffy before mixing in the dough. That is the same technique you use for meringue cookies so I have a feeling it could work. Be on the look out for that post :)