Pumpkin Spice Biscotti with Pecans
A few years ago, my kids started encouraging me to document our family recipes. I always cooked for them while they were growing up, but I also learned so many family traditions from my own mom and grandparents. That’s how Blame It On Biscotti was born: I started with my all-cookies cookbook, A Gift of Cookies: Recipes to Share with Family and Friends. The book has a whole chapter on biscotti alone—they’re certainly a staple in the DiSomma household. Today I’m sharing my Pumpkin Spice Biscotti with Pecans recipe with you.
Move Over, Pumpkin Spice Latte—There’s a New Treat in Town
We’re well into autumn now, so we’ve been seeing pumpkins around for a while… but to me, it never gets old! These hearty winter squash are one of the most perfect foods to enjoy on those dark, chilly evenings. I love pumpkin so much—and pumpkin spice too! I’ve never made a pumpkin pie-inspired biscotti before… but this year I got inspired. This is the biscotti version of Nerina’s Pumpkin Bar recipe, plus some pecans for added crunch. Yum.
Hungry for More Biscotti Recipes?
Traditional biscotti are baked twice. You can learn more about this time-honored technique in my Cherry Pistachio Biscotti recipe. Want another slightly spicy sweet treat? Make sure to try my Gingerbread Biscotti recipe too!
Plus, there’s a lot more where that came from in my cookie cookbook, A Gift of Cookies: Recipes to Share with Family and Friends. It makes a great holiday gift—and all the proceeds go to my favorite Chicago children’s charities.
Pumpkin Spice Biscotti with Pecans Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup packed pumpkin puree
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup chopped unsalted pecans
- 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You can also use a handheld mixer for this if you don’t have a stand mixer! However, a stand mixer works a bit better since this dough is quite thick.
- With the mixer on low, add the egg and mix until just combined. Now add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
- In a bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder, spices, and salt. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour. Mix until combined. The dough is going to be pretty sticky. Now, add the pecans and mix until just combined.
- Using a spatula, scoop the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet, dividing it in half so you have two equal portions of dough.
- I like to use slightly damp hands to pat the dough into a log shape. Shape the dough into two logs, about 10x2½ inches in dimension. Smooth the tops and sides of the logs so they are more rectangular in shape.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven to cool for 5 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.
- Now comes the fun part: Cutting the biscotti into their distinctive shape! Start by lining another baking sheet with clean parchment paper.
- Using a serrated knife, cut each log into ½-inch slices on a slight diagonal. Place the biscotti pieces on the clean baking sheet pan with one of the cut sides down.
- Now the biscotti goes back into the oven for the traditional second bake. Bake for 12 minutes on one side, then carefully turn the biscotti over and bake for 7 more minutes. At this point, your biscotti will still be a bit soft in the middle. If you would like a very crunchy biscotti, keep the biscotti in the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the biscotti, cut side down, onto a cooling rack.
- Once cooled, you can drizzle the biscotti with the confectioners’ sugar glaze. To make the glaze, combine the sifted confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and milk in a bowl. I usually start with 2 teaspoons of milk and stir to combine. You want the glaze to be thick enough to hold its shape when drizzled. If the glaze is too thick, just add 1 teaspoon of water and stir. Store the cooled biscotti in an airtight container for several days or freeze for up to 1 month.