Pumpkin Spice And White Chocolate Biscotti

We love desserts. We love desserts of all kinds…well, 99% of desserts. lol. I don’t make desserts every single day, but when I do make desserts, they have to be delicious and somewhat easy. I don’t like making fussy desserts that take days upon days to make. If I make something like that, it is usually a holiday treat.

These biscotti cookies are really easy to make, not overly sweet, and not too spiced. They are the perfect treat to make, even if you are a beginner baker. They are so easy, and did I mention good? They are twice-baked and perfectly crisp. You can enjoy them on their own or dipped into coffee or hot chocolate. They are great for dessert or even a breakfast treat.

Let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

250g (2c) All-purpose or fresh milled flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4. tsp salt
3/4c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. Almond extract
1/2 c. 100% pure pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 c. white chocolate or chopped white chocolate bar
1/2 c. Pecans – chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F* and line a sheet tray with a Silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, vanilla, almond extract, and pumpkin puree until smooth.
4. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry and fold until almost combined. Add in the white chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar and the pecans (if using), and fold together until everything is well combined and there are no more streaks of flour.
5. Turn the dough out onto your prepared sheet tray. You can make 1 long log or 2 individual logs. I like to do 2. With wet hands, gently pat the dough out into an 8 to 10-inch log about 2 inches tall.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden. You will be baking these twice.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool just enough to handle. About 5 minutes. They should still be very warm to the touch.
8. Remove from the tray and place on a cutting board very gently. You don’t want to break it.
9. Cut the cookies into 1/2-1 inch strips. You can cut them straight or on a diagonal. Place the cookies, cut side down, back onto the tray.
10. Place back into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, and then flip the cookies over. Bake for another 10 to 12 minutes until crisp. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes on the tray. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

• For an extra warm flavor, you can add a pinch of allspice or cardamom to the spice mixture. It will be a subtle flavor, but oh so good.
• If you don’t like pecans or can’t have nuts, you can swap out the nuts for any other kind or about 1 1/2 tbsp of sesame seeds. You can also leave them out. The sesame seeds add that bit of crunch and flavor to the cookies. So if nuts are a no-go for you, just leave them out, or if you can have sesame seeds, add those instead. You do you.
• Be sure to get the 100% pure pumpkin puree and not the pumpkin pie fillings. You can use that, but don’t add the spice mixture from the recipe. It will make them overly spiced.