Biscotti! The sweet little italian cookies that go so well with coffee, get a fall twist with canned pumpkin, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries.  

I modified this recipe based on an old standby from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, which I got from my first marriage. I love this cookbook. When I don’t want to take any chances, and I just want something to work and be good, I go to this cookbook over all my others. It’s especially good for all the basic recipes, and it explains why they work! 

Biscotti can be done one of two ways. Soft, or crunchy. I like mine just slightly soft, so that you could almost eat it without dunking it in coffee, so I tend to under bake mine ever so slightly. 

Pumpkin Cranberry Orange Biscotti

Makes about 3 dozen cookies. 

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoons ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup cranberries

Zest of 1/2 orange

2 tablespoons orange juice

Directions

With the oven rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves together in a medium bowl and set aside. 

In a mixer, beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3-6 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until all incorporated, scraping down the bowl and beaters as necessary. 

Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add in the flour mixture. Mix in the pumpkin seeds, cranberries and orange zest and juice. 

Split the dough in half and press each half into logs that are roughly 2×13 inches and an inch and a half apart on the baking sheet. Using a bit of flour on your hands while pressing and shaping the logs is helpful. 

Bake until the loaves are golden and beginning to crack on the top, about 35 minutes. 

Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 325 degrees F. 

Move the loaves to a cutting board using a wide metal spatula. Slice each loaf with a serrated knife into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay the slices about 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. 

Bake until the slices are crisp and golden on the top, about 7 minutes. Take the baking sheet out and flip each cookie over and bake for an additional 7 minutes, for 14 minute baking time total. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and let cool completely – about 30 minutes.