Pumpkin Scones

While we’re on the subject of pumpkin…

Well, here’s some more.

I’m getting excited for Halloween. It’s not normally a super hot holiday in my book, but there is a Halloween party that may possibly be happening. In honor of this possible event, I’ve been doubling up my food surfing efforts (joke. Not possible to double.)

Here are some of my winning finds of the day:

Frankenstein kit kats
Cute pumpkin pretzels
Apple pie bites on a stick
These supah creepy meringue bones + surprise pudding
Pumpkin pie macaroons (like I would have the patience to make these, but still)
Pumpkin pie spiced linzer cookies (omgah adorable)
Pumpkin puppy chow (!!!)
The cutest ghosts on a cake I’ve ever seen
THE MOST ADORABLE CHOCOLATE OWL CUPCAKES

Also, hey scones. I couldn’t NOT stop stuffing my face with these, which is why I refuse to bake any more scones until after October 31st (I’d prefer not to have a weight comparable to a baby beluga by the end of the month). They aren’t scone-y* so much as the fluffiest, crumbiest, only sorta-dense-scone-shaped biscuits you will ever sink your teeth into too. The version I made is very lightly spiced and the scent is otherwordly. I generally like my scones glaze-free as a rule, but these definitely benefitted from a light spray of cinnamon-spiked glaze since the scones aren’t that sweet. On the other hand, you could definitely toast these and scrape a tiny bit of butter/jam/peanut butter (um, I put this on everything, sorry) and I think the glaze would be rendered unnecessary.

*I decided today that I’m not speaking real English.

Notes

This might be kind of an insult to say that I “adapted” these scones given my minuscule changes, but I think the value I’m adding is that you can make small changes to make these healthier and they still taste fabulous.

I swapped out the AP flour for all white whole wheat, cut down on the butter by a tablespoon and used almond milk instead of half and half. The next time I make these, I might try cutting down the butter by another tablespoon. These are the kinds of healthy baking alterations I use of a regular basis and I highly recommend trying it out! Less refined white flour for everyone = universal win!

Pumpkin Scones
Barely adapted from Portuguese Girl Cooks

Yield: 16 small scones

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
4 tablespoons milk (I used unsweetened Silk almond milk)
1/4-3/4 cup powdered sugar (opt)
additional milk and cinnamon for glaze (opt)

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 and cinnamon.
Add in the cold butter, and using a grater, fork and knife or pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture, and no large lumps remain. Feel free to rub in the butter with your fingers to eliminate all large chunks.
In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, egg, and milk. 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 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, so that you have two long, skinny rectangles. Depending on how many scones you want, make 3-7 width cuts. Cut each of the squares you just created on the diagonal to make 2 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: you can adjust for the amount of glaze you’d like (i.e. lots to none at all)

Per 1/4 cup powdered sugar, add 1 teaspoon of milk and a dash of cinnamon. Have faith that this miniscule amount of milk will create a perfect glaze and don’t be tempted to add more before it is throroughly stirred in!

Comments