Pumpkin Biscotti

It’s pumpkin pie as biscotti! With all the classic pumpkin pie spices — cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and a good helping of pumpkin puree — these pumpkin cookies are reminiscent of one of our favorite fall pies.

You can make these cookies plain or decorate them with sweetened dried cranberries and pecans or walnuts. Both will work, although the plain version will be a bit crunchier.

A few helpful tips for making biscotti

• Don’t try to make biscotti on a wet day; The cookies will absorb too much moisture from the air and won’t crisp up.
• The dough should be slightly wet and sticky. On the clean surface you will be using to form the dough, flour it and flour your hands well. This should help add just enough flour to the dough so it’s easy to work with. If for some reason the dough is too dry, knead it by hand a few times and if it’s still too dry, add water, teaspoon by teaspoon.
• Spread the logs apart on the baking sheetthey will spread.
• Use a serrated knife like a bread knife to cut the cookies. But don’t wait too long after taking it out of the oven after the first baking or it will be too hard to cut!
• Bake longer for more crunch: If you want your cookies to be crispier, just leave them in the oven longer the second time you bake them.

This recipe is a completely revised recipe from one that was originally posted here in 2007. I’ve always had issues with this recipe (too cakey, not enough flavor), and several readers have, too. If you want the original recipe, you can still find it here.