Sorry, sorry, I feel bad about posting a pumpkin recipe when it’s not really in season. Or is it? This is the last one for the year, I promise. I kinda forgot about this recipe, which is ridiculous because it’s so good. I’ll definitely be making it again in the future.

I was inspired by some crackers I tried at work. They were biscotti shaped, and had rye and pumpkin seeds in them. I don’t think they were actually pumpkin flavored, though. Anyway, I took that idea and ran with it.

After running around with that idea for a while, I was tired, thirsty, and decided I should bake some Spiced Pumpkin Pepita Biscotti.

These are tender, flavorful, crisp, but not super crunchy because of the pumpkin in them. They’re lightly sweetened with brown sugar, and have a nice spicy flavor from the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. The toasted pepitas are so buttery and yummy!

I couldn’t help but dip the ends in some white almond bark and cinnamon-sugar. Definitely not necessary; it just makes the cookies a little more special and indulgent. I think if you left the almond bark off, these cookies might not be that bad for you. Or that’s what I’m telling myself?

What’s the best biscotti you’ve ever baked? I’m a huge fan of biscotti. I baked it non-stop for about three months one time.

Spiced Pumpkin Pepita Biscotti

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1/2 lb. white almond bark
Cinnamon sugar, for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large cookie sheet with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together butter and brown sugar until well combined. Whisk in egg, pumpkin, vanilla, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until well combined. Stir in flour and pepitas until well incorporated, and a stiff dough is formed.

Pat dough into 10-1/2 x 3-1/2 inch log on cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes. Cool log for 10 minutes, before transferring it to a wire rack to cool an additional 20 minutes. Transfer log to a cutting board, and slice diagonally, into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place on cookie sheet; bake 10 minutes. Flip cookies, and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until crisp. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt almond bark in a small bowl, in the microwave, for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Dip half of each biscotti into white almond bark; place on wire rack to dry. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top of almond bark, if desired.