Friday, September 24, 2010

Pumpkin Pie Biscotti

I like coffee. A lot. It’s my only vice, I promise.

Well, that and ice cream. And chocolate. And most sweets.
Okay, so I have a lot. But coffee is really it. The big one. And day after day, there is nothing more satisfying than my first gulp of warm goodness.

The debate goes on about what treats go best with coffee. A scone perhaps? Or maybe a muffin? As of about a month ago, I would have agreed with you. And though I’ve seen many people dunk an oblong semi-biscuit semi-cookie into their mugs, I had never tried it. And I wasn’t interested.

Is it soft? No.

Can I nuke it in the microwave? No.

Is it sweet? No.

Nope, not interested. But curious. So one day, as I sat in a little café, I tried it. A double chocolate chip biscotti—okay. I liked it. It got all chewy when I dunked it. I can dig it. Then, tried a caramel macchiato one. That was the one that won me over.
The white chocolate! The subtle sweetness! The mixture of textures! Sold.

And, well, it’s officially autumn, so why not make my new found treat season appropriate? Done and done.
My house smells like pumpkin pie. My coffee pot is steaming. I’m in heaven.

Pumpkin Pie Biscotti

What ya need:
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup mashed canned pumpkin
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1-1/4 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 cup white melting chocolate wafers

What ya do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl; stir well.
2. In another bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla, stirring well with a wire whisk. Slowly add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Mixture will be very crumbly; it will gradually become moist after stirring.)
3. Melt butter n a large skillet over medium heat; add macadamia nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until nuts are browned. Remove from heat and cool completely. Knead or gently stir cooled nuts into dough.
4. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 portions. Lightly flour hands and shape the uncooked biscotti into the lengths of a cookie sheet, about 15 inches by 6 inches. Place each piece of dough on a separate cookie sheet. 

5. Bake for 23 minutes; cool logs 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300. Cut each log diagonally into 1/2" slices using a serrated knife. Place slices on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks. And top with melted white chocolate, if desired (you should do this)

For a step by step how-to, check out one of my previous guest posts!

11 comments:

Carolyn said...

Love, love, LOVE the idea of pumpkin pie in a biscotti (or biscotto, I think the singular is supposed to be. I never say it that way though!).

Rick said...

Epic win! Nuke it in the microwave anyway. Just warm it up a little.

Brie: Le Grand Fromage said...

this is fabulous! i'm also a huge coffee drinker and my favorite flavor is pumpkin spice, which i can only enjoy a few weeks out of the year. this biscotti will pair perfectly; plus i could make it to dip in my coffee when i miss my pumpkin spice!

Lauren said...

Fall= biscotti and pumpkin. I never seem to make biscotti in the summer but when fall an winter roll around, i'm so there! And pumpkin? Lordy, I'm wishin' there was a can of pumpkin in my pantry right now. yum.

Unknown said...

Oh, I love pumpkin pie and I love biscotti. I'm all over this recipe. Thanks for sharing it!

Baking Barrister said...

These would be really really awesome with a salted caramel latte. They would--I swear. You should sneak them into starbucks & try it out.

And I missed you on twitter! We need to harass lauren.

Monet said...

Coffee is my vice too! I tried to go today without it...and it was so very hard! I love pumpkin pie, so I'm sure that these would be a delight. I'm wishing I had one to have with my cup of coffee tomorrow morning!

Anonymous said...

Ohhhhh, my mom was on a biscotti making kick that left me craving biscotti! Yours looks amazing, and I totally love pumpkin in anything :)

Emily Z said...

These look fabulous! I just made some pumpkin bread myself, it's definitely the season for it, no?

Evan @swEEts said...

Just got around to seeing this post :) So glad I could inspire you to finally try biscotti!! Yours looks great.. I'm going to have to try it out!!

Anonymous said...

Fall is the perfect time for this treat! Coffee is year round but pumpkin is for special occasions. It looks and sounds like a great recipe!