Pumpkin chocolate chip biscotti
Did your family dunk? We did. Oreos in milk, and for the older set, chocolate chip cookies in coffee. If you didn't grow up in a dunking family, you might not know that biscotti are twice-baked Italian cookies, so crispy that the best way to eat them is to dip them in coffee, or tea, or vin santo, a Tuscan dessert wine. The biscotti absorb the liquid, and just before they fall apart, you pop them in your mouth.
Almost every recipe for pumpkin cookies or cupcakes or custard calls for half a cup of pumpkin pureé, so you're sure to have a little container of leftover in the refrigerator, just enough for these pumpkin chocolate chip biscotti, or you can substitute canned squash pureé. These cookies will stay crisp for a few days in an airtight container.
Pumpkin chocolate chip biscotti
From the pantry, you'll need: all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, eggs, vanilla extract, unsalted butter.
Very slightly adapted from this recipe on Delicious Inspiration. Makes 24.
Ingredients
3-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat (silicone liner) or parchment paper, and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices until well mixed. In a small bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well, adding in the chocolate chips. The dough will be quite firm.
Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and form them into rectangular loaves about 3/4 of an inch in thickness. Mine ended up being about 12'' x 3'' each. Bake in the preheated oven until the loaves are cracked on top and set in the middle, 25-30 minutes.
Let the loaves cool at least one hour, until almost completely cool. Slice crosswise into thin slices, 1/4'' to 1/2'' thick. Lay the slices on the baking sheets (they can be quite close together, as they won't spread) and bake for another 15 minutes.
Let the biscotti cool completely before dunking, or store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
More biscotti cookies:
Lemon-currant biscotti, from The Perfect Pantry
Ginger-apricot biscotti, from The Perfect Pantry
Toasted almond chocolate chip biscotti, from Farmgirl Fare
Nutella and chocolate chip biscotti, from My Food Blog
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Perfect! Biscotti is the only baked good that I attempt! And yes, I'm a dunker from way back!
That looks perfectly done. You're making me hungry with that picture of the biscotti sitting in the coffee!
Pam, biscotti are forgiving, and when I bake, I need a recipe and method that's forgiving!
Curt, wouldn't these be perfect with morning coffee?
Wish I had one in my coffee right now. :-)
I haven't made biscotti in years - used to make them around the holidays as gifts. Pumpkin and chocolate are a nice combination - would love a taste.
Kathy, Jeanette: Wish you were here. And that we (my assistant, Kathy, and I) hadn't eaten every last one of these biscotti.
funny ..the only dipping and dunking I like with my biscotti is into chocolate!!! (but coffee will do in a pinch;-)
Carol, there's chocolate here...so does that count?!
Those cookies are calling my name. Biscotti is my all time favorite cookie, can't wait to try these.
Every time I make biscotti, it never turns out! Maybe I just haven't had the right recipe yet ;)
Andrea, I love to have a cookie with afternoon tea, and this is the perfect cookie for that.
Zesty Cook, I think the secret is to let the loaf cool completely before cutting and baking it the second time, otherwise it tends to fall apart. Other than that, no secret, just keep trying until you find a recipe that seems to like you back. This one worked for me.
I love pumpkin and chocolate together. Great recipe!
Maria, would you believe that before this Fall, I'd never tried pumpkin and chocolate together? Now I'm in love with it.
Oh my gosh! What a perfect cookie to make for gifts!!!
EB, agreed. But I did find that they didn't last too long (not counting the ones we ate, of course), so I'd make them and gift them right away.