This should probably be my last pumpkin post for a while. Even I’m starting to think I’ve gone off the deep end with all these pumpkin goodies (although, I did see an amazing looking pumpkin roll at the Farmers Market yesterday and I know I could do that). But, while all the pie pumpkins seem to have disappeared from the produce department, my friendly, neighborhood Frye’s is still piling the Libby’s pumpkin puree on to the end caps…and I keep buying. Ok, so maybe this won’t be my last pumpkin post. There are at least a couple more cans of pumpkin in my pantry.
Anyway, on to the recipe. I love biscotti. More than enjoying a tasty biscotti cookie in my morning coffee, I love the process of baking biscotti. There was a time, for certain, when the whole concept intimidated me. Baking once, baking twice…what? Could the chemistry of baking be made any more complicated by having to bake something more than once?? But, while it is a little more time-consuming, it’s not complicated. Then, there are the rewards. Oh, man, I love the crispy snap and crunch of good biscotti. I love that snap and crunch even more when it’s followed by the flavor of pumpkin. And, although the recipe didn’t call for it, I sort of upped the yum factor by melting some semi-sweet chocolate and drizzling it over the finished product.
Ok, now tell me that’s not worth the extra time??!! Enjoy!
Pumpkin Biscotti (recipe courtesy Vanilla Garlic)
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups of flour
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
- Pinch of ginger
- Pinch of cloves
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup of pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Procedure:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and spices in a large mixing bowl.
2 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 crumbly.
3 Flour your hands and a clean kitchen surface and lightly knead the dough. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Form the dough into a large log, roughly about 15-20 inches by 6-7 inches. The loaves should be relatively flat, only about 1/2 inch high. Bake for 22-30 minutes at 350 F, until the center is firm to the touch.
4 Let biscotti cool for 15 minutes and then using a serrated knife cut into 1 inch wide pieces. Turn the oven to 300 F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.
***Baking Notes: I erred on the side of too little baking on my first batch and no amount of dry, desert air crisped them sufficiently. My next batch baked closer to the longer suggested baking times and were much better. Just keep an eye on them.
You can enjoy lots of other recipes over at Blessed with Grace, so click on over!