Earlier this week I decided that I wanted to make pumpkin pancakes as my next blog post, but between then and now I noticed the food blogger scene absolutely exploding with pumpkin pancake recipes. While I’m sure I could have made some great pancakes with a unique twist on them, I decided to go a different route and making pumpkin spice scones instead. I’ve never actually made scones before but I have made plenty of biscuits so I figured I could tackle the job. We loved how they turned out – a nice slightly crumbly texture but not too dry, full of warm autumnal spices and not too sweet. That is until you pour the liquid crack over them. Ok, so the scones are good, but the browned butter glaze? I need to find a scientist to manifest this stuff into human form so I can make out with it in the back seat of a car. I am not ashamed of these thoughts.

 Just as I talked about in my buttermilk biscuit recipe, it’s important to use cold ingredients when making scones. Handle the dough as little as possible or you run the risk of biting into tough, chewy scone as opposed to a soft, crumbly one. For the glaze (oh man, that glaze) you have a couple of options for how you can use it. One way is to put it into a piping bag and pipe stripes across each cooled scone for sort of a toaster strudel effect. The other option is to warm the glaze slightly and spoon it over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides. They are equally delicious but the latter is more conducive to eating the scones warm (which is how I preferred them). The glaze recipe actually makes enough to frost closer to 10 pastries, but the scone recipe itself only makes 8. Oh well, I guess you’ll just have to eat the rest with a spoon… dreadful I know…

I find these to be just a little more moist and slightly cake-like than your traditional scone, but I think it’s wonderful that way. You could probably increase the cooking time just a tad to dry it out some more if that is your preference. Oh and if you don’t have all of the individual spices needed to follow the recipe exactly, you could always use a tablespoon or so of pumpkin pie spice instead. Get ready for your kitchen to smell amazing either way!

Pumpkin Spice Scones

2014-01-06 21:00:45

Serves 8

Warm, autumnal pumpkin scones come together in minutes.

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

20 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

20 min

Ingredients

1. 1 cup all purpose flour
2. 1 cup whole wheat flour
3. 1 tablespoon baking powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6. 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
7. 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
8. 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
9. 1/2 cup or 1 stick unsalted COLD butter, cubed
10. 1/2 15-ounce can pumpkin (not pie filling)
11. 1/3 cup light brown sugar
12. 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
13. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14. 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
15. 1 tablespoon orange juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In basin of food processor combine flours, baking powder, salt, and spices with cubed butter. Pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal.
3. In a small bowl whisk together pumpkin, sugar, cream, vanilla extract, orange zest, and orange juice. Add to dry ingredients and pulse until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press into a circle about an inch thick. Slice circle into 8ths.
5. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges or just barely turning golden.
6. Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack. If piping stripes onto your scones, allow them to cool completely before frosting.

Calories

1. 271

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Brown Butter Glaze

2014-01-06 21:03:34

Serves 10

Rich, sweet and thoroughly addicting brown butter glaze is lick-the-bowl good.

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Total Time

10 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Total Time

10 min

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup or 1/2 stick unsalted butter
2. 1 cup powdered sugar
3. 1 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
4. 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 2-4 tablespoons milk (I used almond milk)

Instructions

1. Using a light bottomed pan (a dark nonstick surface makes it hard to see the color of your butter change) melt unsalted butter.
2. The butter will begin to foam and eventually subside. Whisk regularly until the butter turns a rich amber color and releases a nutty aroma.
3. In a medium bowl combine browned butter and remaining ingredients. Beat until smooth and creamy.
4. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve your desired consistency.

Calories

1. 97

Notes

1. If you use all of the icing between the 8 scones (I wouldn’t blame you!) then the calories per serving changes to 121.

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