Booscotti!

Pumpkin biscotti, that is.

Just as I was settling down to begin writing about biscotti, I looked up at my TV to see Lindsay Graham blathering on about his love of Herschel Walker and I needed to take a break before I even began.

(shudders)

Dahlia cleanse:

Ok, so back to cookies, which are nice to talk about. And biscotti, since they are baked twice (hence the name, but you knew that), must be twice as nice. And really, I have got to get that image of Lindsay Graham, sycophant, out of my mind.

Scary, but not Lindsay Graham scary.

This recipe is easy and quick. The only thing that takes some time is the baking.

There were two strong contenders for best recipe. One strongly favored by chief cookie tester, my husband, and the other a little more mainstream in flavor, so I offer you both.

My husband’s favorite is made with coconut sugar and whole wheat flour, which makes for a darker, moodier flavor. A hint of bitter. But the good kind of bitter.

If you want to make the biscotti with a more pronounced pumpkin flavor and brighter color, go for white sugar and white flour.

I added chocolate chips to mine reflexively, but slivered almonds or dried cranberries would also be nifty.

Early versions were dipped in melted caramel sea salt from Trader Joe’s. The taste like fancy butterscotch chips, TBH, but I suspect they are going to sell out so stock up.

I also decorated them to look like ghosts, because: Halloween (and I had a lot of writing to do for another project, so I was procrastinating.)

A note about spices: My measures are guidelines. Feel free to pump up the flavor. Or sub ready made 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice if that’s all you have

Pumpkin Biscotti

What You’ll Need:

4 tablespoons butter (2 ounces), softened

3/4 cup (130 grams) coconut sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup (7.5 ounces) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)

1 3/4 cup (10.5 ounces) whole wheat flour (if using white flour, use 2 cups or 8.8 ounces)

1 to 1/2 cups of mix-ins (chocolate chips, almonds, dried cranberries, etc.)

What You’ll Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. With an electric mixer, blend the butter, sugar, spices, baking powder and salt until creamy.

3. Add the egg and blend. The mixture will look curdled. Add the pumpkin puree, remembering to scrape the sides and beaters.

4. Stir in the flour and mix-ins of choice until just blended.

5. If you’re in a rush, you can divide the sticky mixture in two, flour your hands and a cutting board and pat each half into about a 10-inch x 2 inch high log. If you have time to spare, wrap the dough in parchment and let it chill for 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.

6. The technique for shaping the biscotti for baking goes something like: pat, pat, pat lengthwise, then shape, shape shape, then pat, pat, pat and shape, shape, shape, until it’s the right shape. (Aren’t these helpful directions?) Transfer to the prepared cookie sheet. Leave 3 inches between the logs. (See photo below)

7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the logs are firm and beginning to turn golden.

8. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temp to 325 degrees F./160 degrees C.. On a cutting board, with a sharp chef’s knife, slice the biscotti into 1-inch slices. Cut straight down, don’t saw, or they might crumble. Smart trick: If you want to cut on the bias, start in the middle of the log and slice outwards from there.

9. Place the sliced cookies on a cut side and bake for about 25 to 40 minutes, turning once. The sides should begin to look a tad toasted. The great variance is doneness times are due to how the different sugars bake up. Also: Ovens varies.

10. Cool completely. Dip in white “chocolate,” or any real chocolate you desire. Store in an air-tight box to keep them crunchy.

    

    Let me know what sugar and spice combos you use. And if you do decorate them, please post a photo!

    Happy Halloween! May your day be much less scary than the image of Trump and Putin, both shirtless, sharing a horse, riding bareback across the Steppe.

    

    Clyde apologizes for me.

    Welcome to all my new subscribers! Thank you for joining me, and I promise never-ever to speak of such scary imagery again. I’m typically less mean to my readers.