I, however, am not the least bit happy to see the arrival of autumn. To me, fall means cold weather, dead grass, and trading my comfy shorts and tees for bulky jackets and heavy jeans. Disliking the taste of coffee in any form, I can't even appreciate the highly-acclaimed Starbucks PSL!
Ah, but the pumpkin, that perfectly piquant pathway to pleasure, THAT I can appreciate. I could fill an entire cookbook with the preponderance of pumpkin recipes I would like to try. I suppose you could make pumpkin repasts any time of the year, but it just seems weird to eat pumpkin in the summer, so instead I save up all my recipes and flood my family with pumpkin come fall.
Previously, I posted one of my favorite pumpkin breakfast recipes, Pumpkin Poppers, and I'm anxious to make those again, but several months ago I pinned a pumpkin scone recipe, and it's been taunting me ever since. Today, the first free Saturday morning I've had all month, seemed like the perfect time to try them out. I've heard that Starbucks sells a similar pastry, but never having tried it, I can't tell you how it compares. What I can tell you it that the kid and I each ate 3 of them before Allen even had a chance. Fortunately, the recipe makes 12, so he can still have some--if he hurries!
The original recipe calls for two separate glazes, a plain one to cover the scone and a spiced one to drizzle decoratively over top. In the picture it looks really pretty, but I was anxious to eat them, so I just made the spiced glaze and spread it all over, and it tasted great.
Pumpkin Scones
link to original recipe
Prep time: 15 min Bake: 15 min Serves 12
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
6 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
4 Tbs half-and-half
Glaze:
1 cup plus 2 Tbs powdered sugar
4 tsp milk
Spiced Glaze:
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch ginger
2 tsp milk
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add in the cold butter, and using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture, and no large lumps remain.
In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, egg, and half-and-half. Pour into the flour mixture and fold to combine.
Form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured work surface, pat the dough into a long rectangle, about 4x13-inches, and about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough in half lengthwise, then cut into 6 equal pieces. Cut each of the pieces once, on the diagonal, to make 2 triangles. You will end up with 12 triangles.
Place the cut pieces of dough on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch of space around. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Using a pastry brush, paint the glaze onto the cooled scones. Allow to dry for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until the icing is not wet, before topping with the spiced glaze.
For the Spiced Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Whisk in the milk until smooth. Put the icing into a small zip-lock bag and cut a small hole into one corner and use it as a piping bag to make the zigzag pattern on top.
178 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!