Pumpkincredible?

Finally - I managed to try a biscotti recipe!  

It wasn't that it was difficult and/or time consuming... I just kept getting distracted.  

However, Scott's step-sister was in town for a few days on a whirlwind visit, and she just LOOOOOVES pumpkin, so I thought I would try - what else? - a pumpkin biscotti to take her when we met for breakfast.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin anything, so I wanted to find a recipe that I might fancy as well, in the hopes that I found it so toothsome I would have a reason to use the rest of the pumpkin (yes, I bought a can of pumpkin instead of buying one to use for such purposes; I have a 23-month-old, so that would be too lofty of a goal this year) for anything other than an additive in the dog's dinner bowl (pumpkin and sweet potatoes are very good for dogs).

Enter pumpkin-chocolate conjoined biscotti.  This side by side recipe had such a pretty look, and, c'mon - the other half is chocolate!

I made only few modifications to this recipe; I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the pumpkin half, as I feel that one needs to have these two spices in order to have a "proper" pumpkin taste in the mouth.  Additionally, I used dark cocoa powder instead of.... "regular."

It was insanely easy to mix, although I had to add far more than a "drop" of milk to the chocolate batter in order for it to be wet enough (I'd wager that it was about 1/4 cup, although you know I hate to measure anything unless I am trying to follow a recipe).

As easy as it was, once the "log" was lined up on the baking sheet and popped into the oven, I fretted for the first round of baking - what if I made the "log" too flat?  what if it wasn't sweet enough? what if, what if, what if?

However, after the timer went off, I was pleased with how things had gone so far:

Biscotti has to be baked twice (just in case you didn't know).  Thus, I duly followed the directions, waiting a half hour before slicing and placing "cut side down" (if you slice the "log," aren't BOTH sides, then, the "cut side"?) on the baking sheets to go another - and, fortunately for my patience, quicker - round in the oven.
Yet my fears had not been quelled.  I tried one of the end pieces, and while deemed OK and edible, they weren't sweet enough to my liking.
Thank goodness for Google, right?
I found a good pumpkin glaze recipe that I was able to whip up very quickly as soon as cookie sheet #1 came out of the oven.  While still cooling, the biscottis were slathered, pumpkin end only, in the glaze, in order to sweeten up and add to the pumpkin-ness of the treat.

End result - not bad.  I think adding THAT much dark cocoa powder requires a little more sugar, as it was a touch bitter.  But the texture was quite nice; the biscottis were still soft enough, having come from the oven only shortly before being set on the table.  Tomorrow, they will likely be harder and more akin to the whole "cookie to be dunked in morning coffee/tea" idea that is a true biscotti.  But I gave them all away, so I guess I'll never know.  Unless I make them again.