These Pumpkin Spice Biscotti are a fall twist on classic Italian biscotti (the name literally means 'twice-baked'), made with real pumpkin purée, warm spices, and a simple maple glaze. They're not too sweet, totally dairy-free as written, and perfect for dunking into a hot cup of coffee or cappuccino.
If you like biscotti, you'll also love my Banana Bread Biscotti and my Classic Almond Biscotti.
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Homemade biscotti are so much better than store-bought, and cheaper too, no weird additives, just real ingredients. The dough comes together without a stand mixer, and this is a fun fall variation once you've got a batch of Pumpkin Pudding Cake or Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread going too, it's pumpkin season at our house.
See the full recipe below, including my top tips and recipe notes.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour - all-purpose flour is what's tested here; if you try a gluten-free 1:1 blend, look for one with xanthan gum to help bind the dough.
- Baking powder: and salt - just enough to lift the dough and balance the sweetness.
- Spices - pumpkin pie spice, or a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, adjust to taste.
- Light brown sugar:- swap in white, coconut sugar, or a sugar substitute like stevia if you prefer.
- Margarine or butter - use a dairy-free vegan butter stick to keep it fully dairy-free, or real butter if that's not a concern.
- Eggs - bind the dough and help it rise slightly.
- Pumpkin purée: One of two most important ingredients to make pumpkin biscotti. The pumpkin adds lovely color and a delicate flavor. Homemade pumpkin purée would make the dough too watery. Stick with canned.- adds color, moisture, and flavor. Stick with canned, homemade purée tends to be too watery for this dough. Sweet potato, butternut squash, or even applesauce work as substitutes.
- Powdered sugar and maple syrup - make the glaze; swap the maple for water or milk (dairy-free if needed) for a plainer icing, or skip it entirely.
How to make pumpkin spice biscotti?
Heat the oven and prep your baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. If you use parchment paper, spray with baking spray. I like to use a sheet per log. BUT if you only have one baking sheet, you could put the two logs on one sheet (making sure to keep them distanced).
- First, gather all the ingredients.
- In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Beat the melted margarine (or butter) with the brown sugar, adding in eggs one at a time. It should be pale and thick.
- Next, add in the pumpkin puree.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl a little bit at a time.
- Let the dough rest a couple of minutes in the mixer bowl.
- Scrape out the dough with a rubber spatula onto a lined cookie sheet (I used a sheet for each log) and divide the dough in half.
- Spray hands with cooking spray. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, then shape each into a flattened log, about 3 inches wide and 12 inches long. If you are using one baking tray, place logs a few inches apart on the baking sheet so they won't stick together as they bake.
- If you have two sheets, place one log on each lined baking sheet.
- Bake until dough is firm but gives slightly when pressed, about 20-25 minutes.
- Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let logs cool down (I wait until it is comfortable to be able to touch the log and slice it without burning my fingers...so that's usually about 15 minutes...if you let it cool completely, they may crumble more as you slice them).
- Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
- Transfer the first loaf carefully to a cutting board. When the logs have completely cooled down, begin slicing the first log by pressing a very sharp knife straight down into the dough.
I took photo of the cookies on the baking sheet without parchment paper, but I did use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.- Place the cookies back on the baking sheet, cut sides up. Keep in mind that the when you slice on a bigger angle, you will get much longer cookies. If you slice short angles, you'll get small biscotti.
- Place the second log on the cutting board and repeat process cutting out the cookie pieces and placing on the baking sheet.
- Bake 7 minutes, flip biscotti, and bake 7 minutes more.
- Set the sheet on a rack to cool completely.
- While the biscotti cool down, prepare the icing (if you're using).
The icing was put together with powdered sugar and maple syrup. You could use water or any sort of milk. I just liked the flavor combo of maple with the pumpkin spices.
A squeeze bottle worked really well to squeeze on the icing. But you could use a spoon or place some of the icing in a plastic bag and cut a corner off. Squeeze through the hole.
TIP: To stack and package the glazed cookies, the icing should set overnight (so it hardens and it doesn't stick).
How thick should the icing be?
It's really not a set recipe. You start out with the amounts I list, and then check the consistency. The icing should pour off the spoon in a ribbon into the rest of the glaze. It will hold its shape and then combine back into the rest of the icing.
If the icing is too thick, add drop of maple syrup (or water, or milk). If it's too thin, whisk in some more powdered sugar.
How to bake mini biscotti?
There is an easy way to make mini biscotti. Instead of cutting into 2 sections, cut the dough into 4 logs.
Keep in mind that smaller logs will bake faster than the larger logs. Check to see if they're ready at around 15 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- No mixer needed. A hand mixer, stand mixer, food processor, or just your hands all work for this dough.
- Let it cool before slicing. Rushing this step, even by a few minutes, tends to make the logs crumble instead of slicing cleanly.
- Use a serrated knife if you have one. A sawing motion cuts through cleanly with much less crumbling than pressing straight down.
- Want them softer or crispier? Shorten the second bake for softer biscotti, or extend it up to 12 minutes per side for extra crunch; they'll crisp up more as they cool either way.
- For mini biscotti, divide the dough into 4 logs instead of 2, and check for doneness closer to 15 minutes.
- Feeling festive? A sprinkle of turbinado sugar before the first bake adds a little sparkle.
Serving Suggestions
These are made for dunking, serve them alongside coffee, cappuccino, or a Pumpkin Spice Latte for the full fall effect. They also make a nice addition to a cookie platter alongside other pumpkin bakes like Pumpkin Pudding Cake.
Storing and Freezing
Once fully cooled, store biscotti in an airtight container, zip-top bag, or cookie jar, with wax or parchment paper between layers. They keep well on the counter for up to a week, or in the fridge for longer.
To freeze, cool completely and store in a freezer-safe bag or wrap individually in plastic wrap; they'll keep for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter overnight before serving.
Some more of my favorite Italian biscotti recipes you may enjoy:
- Hazelnut and Dried Cherry Biscotti
- Banana Bread Biscotti
- Cranberry Almond Biscotti
- Easy Lemon Biscotti Recipe
Did you make this and love it? Please RATE THE RECIPE below:)
I would LOVE IT if you can leave me a star rating and a review down below and let me know your thoughts! It means the world to me to hear how you liked it.
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Easy Pumpkin Biscotti Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or 1 teaspoon cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon each nutmeg and ginger
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 4 Tablespoons margarine or butter melted and cooled down
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup pumpkin purée
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup or water or milk or unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray baking sheet (about 18" x 13") with baking spray or line with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the melted butter and light brown sugar.
- Add in the eggs one at a time. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until thick and pale.
- Beat in the pumpkin puree.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl a little bit at a time.
- Let the dough rest a couple of minutes in the mixer bowl.
- Scrape out the dough with a rubber spatula onto a clean counter. Since there is pumpkin puree, the dough may be a little sticky.
- Work the dough on a clean counter with a little bit of flour until it is firm enough to transfer to the prepped cookie sheet. lined cookie sheet (I used a sheet for each log) and divide the dough in half.
- When you can get the dough into a ball, transfer to a lined cookie sheet (I used a sheet for each log).
- Spray hands with baking or cooking spray. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, then shape each into 2 flattened logs, about 3 inches wide and 12 inches long.
- If you are using one baking tray, place logs a few inches apart on the baking sheet so they won't stick together as they bake. If you have two sheets, place one log on each lined baking sheet.
- Use a sharp knife to score the logs. Be sure to not cut all the way through (this step is optional, but nonna always scores her biscotti logs).
- Bake until dough is firm but gives slightly when pressed, about 20-25 minutes.
- Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let logs cool until you can touch to cut with a knife (should take 15 minutes...sometimes I only wait 10 minutes).
- Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
- Transfer the first loaf carefully to a cutting board. When the logs have cooled down, begin slicing the first log by pressing a very sharp knife or serrated knife into the dough (if using a serrated knife, cut with a with a sawing motion).
- Keep in mind that when you slice on a bigger angle, you will get much longer cookies. If you slice short angles, you'll get small biscotti.
- Place the cookies back on the baking sheet, cut sides up.
- Place the second log on the cutting board and repeat process cutting out the cookie pieces and placing on the baking sheet.
- Bake 7 minutes, flip biscotti, and bake 7 minutes more.
- Set the sheet on a rack to cool completely.
- While the biscotti cool down, prepare the icing (if you're using).
- To make the icing:
- The icing is optional. Add powdered sugar in a bowl and stir in maple syrup (or milk, use unsweetened almond or coconut milk if you're dairy-free) until the desired consistency is reached.
- To test the consistency, let the glaze pour off the spoon. The glaze should fall into a ribbon and hold the shape for a few seconds before melting back into the glaze.
- If the glaze is too thick, add a drop of water and test again. If the glaze is too runny, add a little more powdered sugar.
- To decorate cookies:
- Transfer the icing into a squeeze bottle, or a piping bag with small round tip, or a plastic zipped bag and cut a corner off. Decorate the cookies and let the icing set.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Notes
- Nonna says if you want to stack and package the glazed cookies, make sure to let the icing set overnight.
- Nonna says the entire dough could be made by hand on a clean counter or work surface.
- Nonna does want you to know the dough is a little sticky. It is a little tricky to form into the logs, so best to spray your hands with baking spray or lightly flour your hands to work with the dough.
- Nonna does like to score the dough before the first bake. Just be careful not to slice it all the way through (sometimes I forget to score the dough, so if you do or don't score it, either way, biscotti will turn out fine).
Nutrition
FAQ'S
Either works, oil gives a slightly lighter, less rich crumb, while butter (or a vegan butter stick, as used here) gives more flavor and a bit more richness. This recipe is built around butter or margarine.
Traditional Italian biscotti tend to be less sweet, drier, and crunchier, meant for dunking. American-style versions are often softer, sweeter, and closer to a crunchy cookie than a true twice-baked biscuit.
They'll still be a little soft when warm, that's normal, biscotti firm up and get crisper as they cool completely, so don't judge the texture until they've fully cooled.
These biscotti were such a nice fall treat. I loved their crunchy texture and warm spices, especially with a hot drink!
This Pumpkin Spice Biscotti came out beautifully golden with a delicious blend of warm spices.
The crunchy texture and cozy pumpkin spice flavor were such a delicious combination!
I made these pumpkin spice biscotti, and they were wonderful with my morning coffee! I loved the warm pumpkin spice flavor and the fact that they aren't overly sweet.
These pumpkin biscotti were perfect for dipping into my morning coffee. They had a lovely crisp texture and just the right amount of fall spice!
I almost never like pumpkin spice because people go so overboard with it. This has the perfect balance. I tried it just because I've loved so many of your other recipes. i wasn't disappointed!
I love this recipe because it has a nice pumpkin spice flavor without going TOO hard on it like some recipes do.
I love the classic flavor of pumpkin with that perfect biscotti texture. It was great with a cup of black coffee.
Just love this pumpkin biscotti recipe! Smells like heavenly fall when it's baking away...and my kids LOVE them.