Easy Pumpkin Spice Biscotti are a fall twist on classic biscotti! Take warm fall flavors, luscious pumpkin purée and add it all to Italian biscotti. These lovely biscotti are just what you need to dip into a hot cup of coffee or cappuccino. Make the dough without a mixer!
These biscotti are not too sweet and have a really easy to make icing drizzled on top. The recipe is totally dairy-free. Are you fine with dairy? Then you could use real butter!
As soon as the temperatures cool down, you’ll find all sorts of pumpkin treats being baked up in our house, like our pumpkin pudding cake and our really popular sourdough discard pumpkin bread.
Homemade biscotti are so much better than store-bought, and also, less expensive! Think about how great it is that there are no weird additives. These biscotti smell heavenly while they’re baking away!
Does baking biscotti intimidate you a little? No fear! As soon as you see how easy it is to make biscotti, you’ll be trying all sorts of flavor combos!
A fun fall variation of my classic biscotti recipe. The healthy pumpkin biscotti have a lovely depth of flavor from the warm spices and the addition of pumpkin purée.
Follow the recipe and you’ll get biscotti that are not hard and perfectly crunchy. You could simply adjust the baking time if you want them softer or even crunchier.
Jump To
- Why this fall biscotti recipe works
- What are biscotti?
- What are classic biscotti flavors?
- What ingredients are in these easy pumpkin spice biscotti?
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to make pumpkin spice biscotti?
- How thick should the icing be?
- How to bake mini biscotti?
- Tips for making this easy biscotti recipe
- How to store homemade pumpkin spice biscotti?
- Can I freeze these easy pumpkin spice biscotti?
- FAQ'S
- Some more of my favorite Italian biscotti recipes you may enjoy:
- Easy Pumpkin Biscotti Recipe
Why this fall biscotti recipe works
- Incorporation of Pumpkin Purée: The addition of pumpkin purée adds a unique flavor and moistness to the pumpkin spice biscotti, making them perfect for fall and winter seasons.
- Versatility: The recipe allows for adjustments in baking time to achieve the desired texture, whether you prefer your biscotti to be softer or crunchier.
- Flavor Profile: The combination of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger gives the biscotti a rich, warm taste that complements the pumpkin excellently.
- Handmade Dough: Making the dough by hand, as suggested by Nonna, adds a personal touch and allows for better control over the consistency of the dough.
- Optional Glaze: The choice to add a maple glaze adds an extra layer of flavor and sweetness, but the biscotti also taste great without it, making this recipe adaptable to different tastes.
- Easy to Follow Steps: The instructions are straightforward and easy to follow, making this recipe suitable for both beginners and experienced bakers alike.
What are biscotti?
Italian biscotti are cookies that are baked twice (which bis-cotti means twice cooked!).
They bake up nice and crispy. Perfect to dunk in a hot cup of coffee or even tea. They are more dry than other cookies.
What are classic biscotti flavors?
The classic biscotti flavors are usually almond, anise and even vanilla.
What ingredients are in these easy pumpkin spice biscotti?
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour. I have not tested with this with gluten-free 1-1 baking flour (so not sure how it would turn out).
- Baking powder:I use my favorite brand that is aluminum-free.
- Sea Salt: A dash of salt is all it needs.
- Spices:You could use pumpkin pie spice or a combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Adjust the amount of spice you like to your taste. I ended up adding pumpkin pie spice and some cinnamon on this batch.
- Light brown sugar: I made my own brown sugar by mixing some molasses into granulated sugar.
- Margarine or Butter: I used dairy-free vegan butter sticks, but if you're not dairy-free, use real butter.
- Eggs: I used large brown eggs.
- 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.
Variations and Substitutions
- Flour: For a gluten-free alternative, you can use a gluten-free flour blend. Ensure it contains xanthan gum, which acts as a binder in the absence of gluten.
- Sugar: You can substitute white sugar with brown sugar or coconut sugar for a different flavor profile. If you're trying to reduce the sugar content, you can use a sugar substitute like Stevia.
- Spices: Feel free to change up the spices according to your preference. Cardamom or allspice could be interesting alternatives or additions to the spices in this recipe.
- Pumpkin purée: If you don't have pumpkin purée, you can substitute it with sweet potato purée, butternut squash purée, or even apple sauce.
- Glaze: For a different take on the glaze, consider using a citrus glaze, vanilla glaze, or chocolate ganache.
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.
Tips for making this easy biscotti recipe
- I made the dough with a hand mixer. You could make it with a stand mixer, with a food processor, or make the entire dough mixing it by hand.
- It is a sticky dough so a spatula will help you scrape it out of the mixing bowl.
- A trick to shaping the logs is to spray your hands with baking spray. Or sprinkle a little flour on your hands.
- It’s easiest to slice the biscotti once they have cooled down. It could take 15-20 minutes. I usually wait 10-15 minutes (better closer to 15, but I have no patience). If you rush, they could make a crumbled mess (I have rushed and had a crumbly mess!).
- A sharp knife is great, a serrated knife is even better. Use a sawing motion when you slice the logs (to avoid crumbly mess!).
- If you prefer softer biscotti, baking them for less time on the second bake will give you a softer texture. Keep in mind the biscotti get crisper as they cool down.
- For the chocolate lovers: drizzle on white or dark chocolate as the icing as soon as they cool down.
- Recipe as it is will make 20-22 biscotti (depends on how long you make the logs when shaping).
- The last few minutes of baking is when they’ll get even crisper. So adjust the time to your liking. But they should be crispy.
- If you like crispier biscotti, bake up to 12 minutes per side. I usually do about 7 minutes per side. As you bake the biscotti, you'll see how long it takes per side to get to the crispiness that you enjoy.
- For festive biscotti, sprinkle on some turbinado sugar for a bit of sparkle.
How to store homemade pumpkin spice biscotti?
Once the biscotti have completely cooled down, they store nicely in a zipped lock storage bag, a cookie jar, or any airtight container.
Stores fine on the counter for up to a week, but longer than that, safest stored in the refrigerator. Put layers of wax or parchment paper between the layers of biscotti.
Can I freeze these easy pumpkin spice biscotti?
Yes, they freeze nicely. Let them cool down completely. Transfer the biscotti to a large zipped lock freezer bag.
Or you could wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer safe container. They’ll freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter the night before you want to eat them.
FAQ'S
The choice between oil and butter in biscotti can vary based on personal preference. Butter can give a richer flavor, but oil is often used for a lighter texture. It's worth experimenting with both to see which you prefer.
The main difference lies in the number of bakings and the texture. Traditional Italian biscotti is baked twice, resulting in a hard and dry texture perfect for dipping into wine or coffee. American biscotti, on the other hand, is usually softer and chewier, often baked only once and can be enjoyed on their own.
Biscotti should be firm to the touch when first removed from the oven, but not yet as hard as it will eventually become. It continues to harden as it cools, reaching the desired crunchiness after the second baking.
Traditional Italian biscotti is meant to be hard and crunchy due to its twice-baked nature. This texture makes it perfect for dipping into beverages like coffee or wine. However, variations of biscotti, especially American versions, can be a bit softer and chewier.
Some more of my favorite Italian biscotti recipes you may enjoy:
- Hazelnut and Dried Cherry Biscotti
- Banana Bread Biscotti
- Cranberry Almond Biscotti
- Fig and Walnut Biscotti
- Easy Lemon Biscotti Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Biscotti Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or 1 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg and ginger
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 4 Tablespoons margarine or butter melted and cooled down
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 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 large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- 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).
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