My grandmother and mother used to make biscotti (Italian cookies), but I never enjoyed them until I made my own, gluten free, of course! These gluten free pumpkin biscotti may be filled with dried fruit and/or nuts, or not. Did I hear, “Amazing”? Why, yes, I did! Use pumpkin puree or pureed sweet potatoes. Either way, they’re delicious! Nuts and dried fruit are optional. You can even dip them in melted chocolate.
Delicious gluten free pumpkin biscotti, which are an Italian cookies but with the flavors of pumpkin pie. Tasty delights with or without your favorite nuts and/or dried fruit.
3/4 cup whole almonds or chopped nuts + chopped dried cherries or cranberries (optional)
For the Optional Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
Instructions:
If using whole almonds, place one oven rack in the upper third of the oven and another in the lower third. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Place the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet on the bottom shelf, rotating to the top shelf halfway through baking for a total of 10 minutes. Keep the oven on, remove nuts, and set aside.
Line a cool baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and spices into a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla. Pour into the dry mixture and stir until crumbly dough forms. As in all cookie making, do not over handle the dough or you will end up with tough cookies.
Flour your hands and a clean smooth rolling surface with additional flour. Lightly knead the dough. Shape into two logs, dough into two large logs, about 15 x 6 inches. Be sure that the center of each log is a little higher, creating a domed shape. You want the sides of the log to be about 1/2-inch high and the center to be at about 3/4-inch high.
If you enjoy dark crust, baste the top of the dough with a mixture of 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of water.
Bake in the center of the oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the center is firm to the touch.
Remove the pans from the oven and set aside with cookies remaining on the baking sheet and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Using a sharp, serrated knife, slice into 3/4-inch wide cookies. Place back on parchment-lined baking sheets, lying on their sides.
Lower the oven to 300ºF and bake for an additional 20 minutes (longer tor cruchy biscotti), turning over once midway through baking. Transfer the pans to wire racks to cool for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer cookies directly to the wire racks to cool completely.
Store them in tin cans so that they keep their crispness. However, if you prefer softer cookies, store them in an air-tight container or ziplock baggies. I store mine in the freezer once they reach my desired crispness.
Tips
The bread will turn out the color of the bread in the photo if you use honey and as in the video if you use molasses.
Should you decide to dip one end of the cookies or the bottoms in chocolate, be sure to use high-quality chocolate, not chips as they do not melt well and set quickly. Melted Hershey bars work well. One King-Size Hershey Bar will allow you to coat about 9 cookie tips.