Pumpkin Biscotti

I know, yesterday I said I did not need to bake any more sweets, but I just had to make these.  Not so much to satisfy my sweet tooth, although that is certainly true, but I had some leftover white chocolate ganache from when I made my lemon-thyme truffles White Chocolate Lemon-Thyme Truffles that I just had to use before it went bad.  It was eating away at me.  I had to find a use for it.  And I did.  I made pumpkin biscotti.

It’s pumpkin season, and I just love pumpkin.  I love it every which way it can be cooked.  Today, pumpkin biscotti, and tomorrow it will be pumpkin in a different way.

All you need to make pumpkin biscotti.

Pumpkin Biscotti

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 TBSP vanilla

1 1/4 cups toasted pecans, chopped fine

cranberries (optional)

1 cup white chocolate, melted for dipping

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or more as needed

 

Preheat the oven to 350* F

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

 

Mix all the dry ingredients, except the nuts, together and set aside.

Mix the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and pumpkin together in a mixer.  Add 1/2 of the flour and mix, then add the rest of the flour and mix.  Once everything is well combined, gently fold in the nuts and/or cranberries.  Divide the dough in half.

On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into two logs, about 3×10 and place on the baking sheets.  Bake for about 35 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Reduce the oven tempeperature to 325* F.  Slice the biscotti logs into slices about 1/2″ thick with a serrated knife, and place back on the baking sheets and return to the oven for about 20-30 more minutes, or until the biscotti is nice and crispy.  After about 10-15 minutes, flip the cookies over onto the other side and return to the oven to continue baking.

Once the biscotti has cooled completely, melt your white chocolate and cream together  to make your white chocolate ganache.   White Chocolate Lemon-Thyme Truffles

Dip half the cookie into the ganache and shake off the excess.  Repeat until all the cookies are done.  If the ganache gets too cool and becomes difficult to work with, just re-heat it until it becomes liquid again and continue.

As with any other type of biscotti, these are best when served and/or dipped into a nice cup of coffee, tea or a steaming hot cappuccino.

 

***I did not think of using cranberries until I already had them in the oven.  Oh well.  Next time.