Momma Rose's Pumpkin Biscotti

Our featured cookie for the Lawrenceville Joy of Cookies Tour 2014: pumpkin biscotti.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t. ground ginger
• 1/4 t. ground cloves
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. pumpkin
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or nuts (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

1. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and spices into a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Give it a rough stir to generally incorporate the ingredients. The dough will be crumbly. (If using chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or nuts, fold into the mixture.)
3. Flour your hands and a clean kitchen surface and lightly knead the dough. Form the dough into a rectangle roughly about 18 inches by 6 inches. The loaves should be relatively flat, only about 1/2 inch high.
4. Bake for 22-30 minutes at 350° F, until the center is firm to the touch.
5. Let biscotti cool for 15 minutes and then using a serrated knife cut into 1 inch wide pieces. Turn the oven to 300° F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.

Biscotti may be still a tad moist and chewy, so if you prefer it crisp let it sit uncovered overnight in a dry space.

You can also form two smaller logs for cute two-bite biscotti; just cut the initial baking time to 18-24 minutes.