pumpkin cranberry fig biscotti from Once Upon A Tart

You’ve probably heard me talk about the Once Upon A Tart cookbook before, especially, strangely enough, about their biscotti. I’ve made a few of their scones, too, though not so much their tarts.

I love the technique of their biscotti so much that I used their platform to create gingerbread biscotti. The technique is different than traditional recipes in that the egg whites are whipped into a meringue and folded into the egg yolk-sugar mixture. There’s also butter in there, too. This helps achieve biscotti that can stand alone as its own cookie, as well as one that can be dipped into a frothy espresso or a steaming hot mug of cocoa.

A long time ago, on this blog, I talked about the pumpkin biscotti, but never included the recipe. This season, I’ve only baked with pumpkin once, and that was a pumpkin bread that didn’t really turn out well. This recipe is pretty idiot proof, especially considering that my meringue didn’t really whip up properly.

There may or may not have been traces of egg yolks in the whites. I’m not telling.

You’re supposed to use fresh cranberries and toasted pecans and yellow raisins. I didn’t feel like the pecans, and although I like raisins, I couldn’t help but feel like this about them:

So I used chopped figs softened in some hot orange juice. Figs seem like an autumnal flavor, and (where do I hand in my foodie card?) I’ve never baked with them before.

Reserve the orange juice for a cup of hot apple cider.

Divide the batter in half to make full-size biscotti, or in thirds for mini biscotti. Sprinkle with turbinado (raw) sugar.

After baking and cooling briefly, slice on the bias and bake some more. I flip the slices over half way, otherwise they don’t brown evenly. At this point, it’s a matter of personal preference as to how long they’re baked. If you’re looking for a super crunchy biscotti, bake longer until they’re a deep golden brown. Bake less for crunchy biscotti with a bit of chew in the center.

Biscotti really are my favorite cookie. I feel this weird tingly old-timey sensation when I bake them, and I don’t feel as stupid telling others that I eat them for breakfast like I would with a normal cookie. If you have any remaining pumpkin lurking in the depths of your fridge, use it to make these.