Your afternoon coffee could use pumpkin chocolate chip biscotti. Here’s a fall cookie recipe with pumpkin flavor, chocolate chips, and a satisfying crunch!

Pumpkin chocolate chip biscotti gives you crisp, golden slices packed with warm cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and little pockets of melted chocolate that turn pleasantly firm as they cool.

Each bite starts with pumpkin and brown sugar, moves into toasted spice, and finishes with a gentle snap that makes coffee, tea, and hot chocolate feel like they have finally found their proper dessert partner!

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups (330 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cups and leveled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Wet Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm rather than hot
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 g) pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
• 1 large egg, room temperature if possible
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Add-In

• 3/4 cup (130 g) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• You can also replace 1/4 cup of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans or walnuts. Keep total add-ins close to 1 cup so the logs remain easy to shape and slice.

Yield: 24 biscotti

How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Biscotti 

Set an oven rack in the middle position and heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large, light-colored baking sheet with parchment paper.

A light-colored sheet helps prevent dark bottoms during the first bake, and parchment makes it much easier to lift the baked logs without tearing their edges.

If your baking sheet is small, use two sheets instead of squeezing both logs together, because biscotti need room for air to circulate.

Whisk flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl until the spices are evenly distributed. Do not leave a little pocket of baking powder hiding at the bottom; one concentrated bite is a poor substitute for a balanced spice blend.

In a separate large bowl, whisk melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for about 45 seconds, until the mixture looks glossy and the brown sugar has broken up.

Add pumpkin puree, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the butter mixture, then whisk until smooth. Butter should be warm, not hot, before you add eggs.

If it feels hot on your fingertip, give it another few minutes to cool so it does not partially cook the egg. The mixture will look soft and golden orange, with a texture similar to thick custard.

Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and use a sturdy spatula to fold until only a few faint streaks of flour remain. Fold in chocolate chips at this point, stopping as soon as they are spread through the dough.

Do not keep stirring to make it perfectly smooth, because overmixing develops gluten and can leave you with hard, tough biscotti instead of crisp, delicate slices.

Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 20 minutes. This pause is useful, not decorative. Pumpkin dough is naturally sticky, and a short chill lets flour absorb some of its moisture so you can shape logs without adding extra flour.

Extra flour is one of the easiest ways to make biscotti dry, so use lightly oiled hands or a lightly oiled spatula rather than turning your work surface into a flour-covered snow scene.

Divide chilled dough in half and place two portions on prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 4 inches between them. With lightly oiled hands, shape each portion into a log about 8 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 3/4 inch tall.

Press gently so the surface is even, but do not flatten the dough into a thin cracker. Rounded ends are fine, and small surface cracks are normal. If dough sticks to your hands, oil them again instead of adding flour.

Bake logs at 350°F (175°C) for 28 to 32 minutes, rotating baking sheet after about 15 minutes. Look for set, dry-looking tops with a few shallow cracks and edges that feel firm when pressed.

A skewer inserted into center should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. If center still looks shiny or wobbly, give logs another 3 to 5 minutes.

Do not rush this first bake, because a soft center makes slicing difficult and leaves biscotti chewy after their second bake.

Remove baking sheet and let logs cool on it for 20 minutes. Set a timer if you need to, because slicing too soon makes the center collapse and slicing after a very long wait can make cutting harder.

After 20 minutes, use a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to cut each log into 12 slices about 2/3 inch thick. Pressing straight down with a chef’s knife can crush chocolate chips and crack the log, while a slow sawing motion keeps edges neat.

Lower oven temperature to 300°F (150°C). Arrange slices cut-side down on baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn each biscotti over and bake for another 13 to 17 minutes.

You are looking for dry, firm surfaces and lightly browned edges. Biscotti may still feel a little soft when hot, so judge by their surface and color rather than expecting them to feel fully crisp straight from oven.

Turn oven off, leave its door open for about 2 inches, and let biscotti sit inside for 10 minutes if you want an especially dry, crisp finish.

Transfer slices to a wire rack and cool completely, at least 45 minutes, before serving or storing. Crispness develops as steam escapes, so give them time. This is the moment when patience earns its keep!

How to Know Biscotti Is Done?

Freshly baked biscotti can fool you because hot sugar and butter make them feel softer than they will taste later.

Once cooled, a properly baked slice should have a dry surface, a firm edge, and a crisp bite with a slight pumpkin tenderness in the center. It should not bend like a cookie or leave moisture on your fingertips.

If slices are still chewy after cooling, place them back on a baking sheet and bake at 275°F (135°C) for 8 to 12 minutes, turning once.

Let them cool fully again before deciding whether they need more time. Pumpkin puree varies slightly from brand to brand, so this small adjustment is normal and does not mean you did anything wrong.

Serving Suggestions

Serve two pumpkin chocolate chip biscotti with coffee, black tea, chai, or hot chocolate. The crisp texture is especially good beside a milky drink because a quick dip softens only the edge while keeping the center sturdy.

For dessert, arrange biscotti beside vanilla ice cream or serve them with a small bowl of melted chocolate for dipping.

For a pretty finish, drizzle cooled biscotti with melted semi-sweet chocolate and let it set before storing. You can also add a pinch of flaky salt to chocolate while it is still wet.

Keep the decoration light, because a thick coating can hide pumpkin spice and make slices harder to pick up.

Storage Instructions

Cool biscotti completely before placing them in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 10 days, using parchment between layers if you added chocolate drizzle.

Do not refrigerate them, because refrigerator moisture can soften their crisp texture.

These biscotti also freeze well. Place fully cooled slices in a freezer-safe container with parchment between layers and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw uncovered at room temperature so condensation does not collect on their surface.

If they need a little refresh after thawing, warm them at 275°F (135°C) for 5 to 8 minutes, then cool before serving.

Make this pumpkin chocolate chip biscotti when you want a homemade fall treat that looks special, travels well, and keeps its texture for days.

Serve it with your favorite warm drink, pass a few pieces around, and keep one or two hidden behind the flour canister for later, because future-you deserves a good snack too!