These homemade pumpkin spiced biscotti covered with dark chocolate are delicious dipped in tea or coffee, or can be served on their own as a light afternoon or evening snack. Thank you Reynolds Wrap® Foil for sponsoring this post!
Every time I have a bite of biscotti I’m taken back to my days in Cégep, when I lived in Montréal.
“Cégep” is a French acronym that stands for Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel, known in English as a general and vocational college. It’s a post-secondary technical college you must attend before going to university that’s unique to the province of Québec’s education system.
It was the first time I was away from home, living like a grown up, or almost. I went to school during the day and changed into my Burger King uniform to flip burgers in the evening, sometimes overnight. On the weekends I would hang out with friends or go to a matinee by myself, followed by a cappuccino and a biscotti at my favorite coffee shop.
I don’t remember how I discovered biscotti but I will never forget how much I loved them! It was something I looked forward to eating, a treat for working so hard toward a bright future. I couldn’t get enough of the crunch and crumbly texture of this Italian cookie, so I would take small bites and eat it slowly to make it last as long as possible. I didn’t have enough money to buy two or three at a time so I took my time to savor the only one I could afford.
Looking back I wish I had known how to bake them myself since they are so easy to make. Today I’m sharing with you one of my favorite fall recipes – chocolate pumpkin biscotti. What I love about these particular biscottis is they actually taste like pumpkin pie!
Another thing I love is the minimal clean up needed to make these delectable Italian cookies! By using Reynolds Wrap® Non-Stick Foil, I don’t have to worry about soaking and scrubbing burnt crumbs off of my baking sheet. The non-stick feature is so good that flipping the biscotti logs after their first bake is smooth and 100% mess-free, which is why Reynolds Wrap® Foil is the only brand I use.
What is Biscotti?
Biscotti is the Italian word for cookie, which means “twice cooked”. In the medieval times, baked goods that were really dry kept for longer and could be stored for a long time. They were taken to long journeys and wars, which made them a staple food of the Roman army.
Biscotti originated from the Tuscan city of Prato during the 14th century. Back then they were called cantucci, which means “little place”, and were made from almonds.
The name biscotti became popular after the cookie was introduced to England and France where the word “biscuit” means cookie or cracker.
Tools Needed
- Mixing bowl: To mix the ingredients that will make the dough.
- Plastic or wooden spatula: It’s easier to use a spatula than a whisk, fork, or spoon for this recipe because the dough is quite sticky.
- Medium to large baking sheet: You want the baking sheet to have enough space for the dough to expand.
- Reynolds Wrap® Non-Stick Foil: To cover the baking sheet so the logs don’t stick while they are baking, and lift right off when it’s time to take them out of the oven, to slice.
- Serrated knife or chef’s knife: A serrated knife is my recommendation but if you don’t have one, a chef’s knife will also work.
Ingredients for Chocolate Pumpkin Biscotti
- Sugar: You can use granulated sugar or cane sugar. 2/3 of a cup is just the right amount to give the biscotti the perfect sweet but not too sweet taste.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Pumpkin pie spice is a mix of ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. The spice mix gives the cookie a little kick and that familiar autumn flavor found in lattes and pies around this time of the year.
- Cinnamon powder: I’m adding a little extra cinnamon powder because it pairs so well with chocolate and adds a woody fragrance.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is used to help the dough rise and give these Italian cookies their famous oblong shape.
- Salt: Just a pinch to balance the flavors.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I love the subtle floral taste olive oil adds while keeping the texture light and crunchy.
- Egg: 1 large egg, whisked, preferably pasture-raised as they taste so much better!
- Pumpkin puree: The pumpkin puree gives the biscotti moisture and a strong pumpkin taste.
- All-Purpose flour: 2 cups, sifted.
- Chocolate: I’m using semi-sweet chocolate chips for this recipe but feel free to use milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips!
Is biscotti better with oil or butter?
The answer is subjective to what you prefer.
Butter is good because it adds flavor to cakes and cookies, often making them taste better.
Oil on the other hand doesn’t add much flavor but is lighter than butter, which means that your cookies and cakes will be, well, lighter!
How to Make Biscotti
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350ºF and moving one rack to the center.
- Line a large baking sheet with Reynolds Wrap® Non-Stick Foil, including the edges, with the dull side facing up (the non-stick side).
- Place the sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon powder, baking powder, and salt, in a bowl and mix well.
- Add the olive oil and whisk until the ingredients are wet and have absorbed the oil.
- Stir in the eggs and pumpkin puree.
- Add the flour and stir until the mixture turns into a dough.
- Cut the dough in half and place each half on the baking sheet covered with foil.
- Shape each half into a log that’s about 6 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Take the logs out of the oven and transfer them to a cutting board. Let them cool for a few minutes and slice them on the bias into 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick biscottis.
- Put the biscottis back on the baking sheet covered with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Flip them halfway through the baking process.
- Turn the oven off and open the door just a bit (couple of inches). Leave the biscottis in the oven until they reach room temperature.
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 15 second increments, until the chocolate is fully melted.
- Grab a biscotti and dip one side in the melted chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip and place the biscotti back on the baking tray. Repeat with all of the biscottis.
- Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes, until the chocolate has hardened. Enjoy!
How to Store Biscotti
You can store biscottis in a tin, to keep them dry and crispy, or refrigerated in an airtight storage container. They will keep for about 2 weeks.
Freezing Biscotti
If you are making a big batch of biscottis you will be happy to know that they can be kept in the freezer!
You can either go through the entire baking process and wrap the cookies in Reynolds Wrap® Non-Stick Foil..
Or take the logs out after the first 25 minutes is up, slice them up, wrap them in Reynolds Wrap® Non-Stick Foil, and freeze.
This way you will only need to bake them for the remaining 40 minutes and dip them in chocolate before serving; the next time you want to make biscotti. They will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Did you like this Chocolate Pumpkin Biscotti Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Chocolate Pumpkin Biscotti
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 biscottis 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A delicious recipe for pumpkin pie flavored biscotti dipped in rich dark chocolate.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup cane sugar or regular granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- Reynolds Wrap® Non-Stick Foil
- 8 ounces (226g) semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Move the rack to the center of the oven.
- Cover a large baking sheet, including the edges, with Reynolds Wrap® Non-Stick Foil, with the dull side facing up, and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, stir in the sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in the olive oil and keep stirring until it has been fully absorbed by the dry ingredients. Add the egg and pumpkin puree and mix well.
- Add the flour while stirring with a plastic or wooden spatula. Stir until the mixture turns into a dough. You might need to finish this step by using your hands to combine the ingredients.
- Cut the dough in half with your spatula or spoon. Place both halves on the foil, leaving a little space between them to allow room to expand.
- Lightly wet your fingers and shape the dough into logs about 6” long and 2 1/2 inches wide.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes and take the logs out of the oven.
- Transfer them to a cutting board and let them cool for 5 minutes.
- Grab a serrated knife or chef’s knife and cut each log at an angle, to make 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick biscottis.
- Place the biscotti slices back on the foil and bake for 40 minutes. Flip the biscottis halfway through the baking process.
- Turn the oven off and open the door a little, by just a couple of inches. Let the biscottis cool in the oven until they are room temperature.
- Take the biscottis out of the oven and set aside .
- Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15 seconds. Stir the chocolate and microwave for another 15 seconds. Repeat this step until the chocolate has completely melted and is smooth.
- Dip one side of each biscotti in the melted chocolate and let the excess chocolate drip for a few seconds. Place the biscotti back on the foil and repeat this step for the remaining biscottis.
- Refrigerate until the chocolate has completely set, about 30-45 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 biscotti
- Calories: 246
- Sugar: 20.1g
- Sodium: 105.1mg
- Fat: 9.6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38.5g
- Fiber: 2.1g
- Protein: 3.9g
- Cholesterol: 15.5mg
