There’s something about the first really cold, rainy days of fall that makes me want the oven on and the whole kitchen smelling like spice and warmth. These pumpkin spice biscotti are exactly that — made with real pie pumpkin I roast and puree myself, a good hit of warm spices, and grass-fed butter. They’re small, crisp, perfect for dunking, and come together fast: no shaping, just pour, bake, slice, and serve.

Biscotti — the Italian word for these twice-baked cookies — is Biscotto in the singular. My mother calls them “biscot yansoon,” yansoon being the Arabic word for the anise seed she grinds and folds into the dough. Her biscotti are the best I’ve ever had — not too hard, not crumbly like the packaged kind, just the right crunch and just enough anise. Dunking one into tea still feels like the most comforting thing in the world to me.

The scent of anise seed is simply comforting and therapeutic; reminding me of the anise tea and biscotti my mom would offer whenever we were sick. My mom’s biscotti also happens to be what got me through the roughest weeks of first-trimester nausea in both my pregnancies — some days, the only thing I could keep down.

When I wanted a pumpkin version of her recipe, I couldn’t find one I liked, so I adjusted hers myself — mostly working around the extra moisture the pumpkin adds — until I landed on this. My taste testers and I agree: it’s the one. The addition of the maple caramel drizzle exudes the perfect amount of pumpkin season in each bite.

Make Fresh Pumpkin Puree

First of all, I use fresh puree. Roasting your own pumpkin puree is easier — and cheaper — than most people expect, and the payoff is a home that smells like fall itself.

Just halve a pie pumpkin, scoop out the seeds (save them — toss with oil and salt and toast for a snack), and sprinkle the flesh with cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice. Place flesh-side down on a baking sheet and roast at 375°F for 20-30 minutes, until soft. As it roasts, your kitchen fills with that toasted-spice, roasted-pumpkin smell that just is autumn.

Once cool, scoop the flesh straight out of the skin and mash with a spoon — if it’s stringy, a quick minute with a hand blender smooths it right out. One pumpkin, a few minutes of hands-on time, and you’ve got 3-4 cups of fresh puree for a fraction of what canned costs.

Pumpkin and warm, gooey maple caramel just belong together — the maple deepens every butterscotch note the brown sugar already gives the cookie. So I whipped up a quick maple caramel sauce and drizzled it over the biscotti once they’d finished toasting on both sides and cooled. Dip one in coffee or tea and the caramel melts into the drink and in your mouth — pure extra-treat territory.

Being the chocolate loyalist I am, though, I couldn’t stop there. I melted some semi-sweet chocolate chips with a teaspoon of oil and drizzled it over a batch too. This part’s basically foolproof — the kids love doing it, and there’s really no way for them to mess it up.

As mentioned, biscotti is a twice baked cookie. The first time it is baked to a soft cake like texture, then it is sliced and baked again to toast into a crunchy biscuit ideal for dipping into coffee or tea. I personally like my cookie a little softer so I do not bake it as long as required when it gets its second bake.

Most biscotti recipes have you roll the dough into a log — but this dough is far too sticky for that. Instead, just pour it onto the pan and shape it into a log with a spatula dipped in water, smoothing the top as you go.

One key step: once baked, slice the log with a sharp knife while it’s still warm. Wait too long and it hardens up and crumbles instead of slicing clean.

 Here you see how sticky the batter can be

Noha

Pumpkin biscotti

Soft, spiced pumpkin biscotti made with fresh roasted pumpkin puree and warm fall spices, twice-baked to the perfect crunch for dunking. Finished with a maple caramel or chocolate drizzle for an extra-cozy autumn treat.

Print Recipe

Servings: 2 dozen

Course: Snack

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the biscotti:

• 6 cups flour
• 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons of Vietnamese cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon of ginger
• 1 teaspoon of cloves
• 1.5 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoon of unsalted butter melted
• 1 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree

For the Maple Caramel Sauce:

• 1 stick of salted butter
• 1 cup pf dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup of heavy cream
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

optional chocolate drizzle:

• 10 oz melted chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vegetable oil

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices together in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, sugars, and vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then pour in the melted butter and stir gently to incorporate.
2. This next step is the trickiest, but a few tips will set you up for success. Grease the baking sheet with butter or line it with parchment paper. Carefully pour the dough into two long logs on the sheet, leaving enough space between them to expand in the oven. Each log should run the length of the pan and stay an even thickness throughout — about ½ inch tall and roughly 4 inches wide (narrower if you’re making mini biscotti). That width becomes the actual length of each biscotti once sliced. To smooth any peaks or uneven spots, wet your finger or a small spatula and even out the dough into a long, uniform slab.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Slice into 2-inch-wide pieces, turn each one onto its side, and bake for another 10 minutes per side.

For the maple caramel drizzle:

1. While the biscotti bake, melt 1 stick of unsalted butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir in 1 cup brown sugar, cream, and a splash of maple syrup, and cook well combined. Let it boil for about 1 minute, then remove from heat. Cool for 15 minutes, then whisk in sifted powdered sugar until smooth.

For the chocolate drizzle:

1. In a heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate chips and stir in the oil until smooth.
2. Once the biscotti have cooled, use a spoon to drizzle the caramel or chocolate over the tops while they’re still on the pan. Let the caramel set and the cookies cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
3. For extra crunch, try folding chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter. These also make wonderful gifts — dress them up with caramel, white chocolate, or dark chocolate drizzle and wrap in cellophane for a easy, beautiful seasonal treat