Applesauce Raisin Biscotti

My third variation on my pumpkin biscotti this past weekend, applesauce raisin biscotti. Too many variations? NEVER! Each one has a completely different taste profile.
The applesauce in these keep the biscotti from getting too hard when they bake the last time after they are sliced.

What you will need:

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup of cinnamon raisin applesauce

¼ cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl add flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and cinammon.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs,, and vanilla extract.

Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture. Give it a quick stir to incorporate all of the ingredients, the dough will be a little crumbly.

Give the raisins a quick chop and them into the batter.

Last, add your applesauce, mix again and that is all.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form the dough into a long log, roughly 16 inches long by 6 inches wide. The log should be relatively flat, only about ½ inch high, otherwise you will have really big sliced of biscotti.

Baked for 20-25 minutes at 350°F, until the center is firm to the touch.

Let biscotti cool for 15 minutes. Use a serrated knife cut the log into 1 inch wide pieces. Turn the oven to 300°F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Double Dark-Chocolate and Ginger Biscotti

This weekend I was experimenting with different variations, once again, on my pumpkin biscotti recipe. I wanted biscotti that looked innocent, but had a secret BOOM I DID NOT EXPECT THAT BUT REALLY LIKE IT flavor to it. The sweet spiciness of the fresh ginger in these cookies complements the richness of the dark chocolate.
These are great for the winter with a big mug of hot cocoa on a snowy day. They are hands down my new favorite biscotti flavor.

What you will need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsps. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup dark chocolate chips (or 3 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped)
¼ cup grated fresh ginger (or finely chopped crystallized ginger)
Optional: ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped.

Preheat oven to 350˚. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until well combined.

In a medium bowl, beat egg, egg yolk, and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in the vanilla and oil until well combined.

Slowly add the egg mixture to the dry mixture, beat the mixture until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips, and ginger with a rubber spatula, at this point the dough will be really stiff.

With moistened hands shape the dough into 2 logs, each about 9” long and 2 ½” wide. Bake until set on top, about 20 minutes.

Let the logs cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 325˚.

Transfer logs to a cutting board and, with a serrated knife, cut each into ½” thick slices . Bake until crisp, about 20 minutes, turning the biscotti over 10 minutes through. 

Let the biscotti cool 5 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or turn around for a minute and have your husband eat the whole batch.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Biscotti

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and this weekend I did a bit more pumpkin baking.  I baked pumpkin bread to bring to the Thanksgiving meal, chocolate scones for snacks for the week {I will share my recipe adaptation to my pumpkin scones hopefully later this week} and my new obsession, pumpkin biscotti.

It’s still fall here, but it is undeniable that winter is approaching.  As I was baking, grey clouds crept across the sky, and the chilly wind was howling outside my window scaring the leaves right off the trees.  This is the kind of weather where you just want to stay in, snuggled under a warm blanket with hot cocoa and some freshly baked biscotti. What else?

My biscotti are packed with flavor and hints of warm spices, and great for dipping!  

While in the oven, they made the house feel so warming and rustic.

My recipe is very adaptable, swap out the pumpkin puree for chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, or any other flavor you are craving.

Baking Tip: When swapping out the pumpkin puree, use less flour as it will be drying without the moist pumpkin puree.  When making my chocolate chip biscotti, I used 2 cups of flour instead of 2 ½ cups.

What you will need:

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup of pumpkin purée

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl add flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and spices.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture.  Give it a quick stir to incorporate all of the ingredients, the dough will be a little crumbly.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Form the dough into a long log, roughly 16 inches long by 6 inches wide.  The log should be relatively flat, only about ½ inch high, otherwise you will have really big sliced of biscotti. 

Baked for 20-25 minutes at 350°F, until the center is firm to the touch.

You can also make two smaller logs for mini bite-size biscotti, just cut the baking time down to 15-20 minutes.

Let biscotti cool for 15 minutes.  Use a serrated knife cut the log into 1 inch wide pieces. 

Turn the oven to 300°F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

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

Enjoy!