Over the weekend, I made our Giant Schnauzer a birthday cake and had some left over pumpkin puree. I covered it tightly and placed it in the refrigerator, but every day I saw it, I knew that its time was coming to an end and this made me sad. I love pumpkin and would hate to throw it away simply because I lacked a plan for it. Now if this was October, I would have all sorts of ways that I would be using this pumpkin! Just thinking about it makes me long for the fall… BUT, this is April and pumpkin isn’t exactly the cool guy in April (well, he is a year round cool guy to me, but you know what I mean), so I started thinking about what I have never made a pumpkin version of and scones came to mind.
I am not a huge fan of classic scones. They are usually just a bit too dry and crumbly to me, but I figured that with a little research and some pumpkin pie spice, I could make a scone that I would love and that would bring some honor to that left over pumpkin puree. I used Ree Drummond’s scone recipe with a few small adjustments and I am happy to say that they turned out fantastic! Moist and tender and full of spice! These will most definitely be making a return in the fall, but I think they fit in well at springtime too. Lets get them started…
This recipe is pretty simple. To make six medium sized scones, you will need 1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and pumpkin pie spice. Below, I give my suggestion for the amounts of spices, but you can absolutely tailor this to what you like. The amount that I used produced a bold pumpkin flavor, but it was not too bold. Also, if you don’t happen to have a few of these on hand, cinnamon will be enough if needed.
I used 1 full teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, all spice and pumpkin pie spice. There will be cinnamon in the glaze as well. In addition to the spices, you will need 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, 1 large egg, 1/8 of a cup of whole milk, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips and 4 tablespoons of frozen grated butter. If frozen grated butter sounds odd to you, allow me to explain. This is one of my very favorite pastry “tricks” and I learned it from Ree Drummond a few years ago…
Most biscuit, scone or pie type doughs call for cold cubed butter to be cut into the flour by using a pastry cutter. This allows the butter to be spread throughout the dough without the use of heavy mixing that often softens the butter too early. It is a proven method, but a lot of people don’t have a pastry cutter and the thought of crumbling butter evenly with two forks just doesn’t sound fun, but if you place the amount of butter you need in the freezer for about 15 minutes and then run it over a large cheese grater, you will have beautifully even butter shreds that work great!
To get started, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and spices in a large bowl. Next, whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, whole milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Now, add the shredded butter and chocolate chips into the flour mixture and toss lightly to combine. Last, add the pumpkin puree mixture into the flour mixture and mix only enough to combine the ingredients.
Transfer the scone dough onto a floured surface and pat it out into a circle that is about 8 inches wide. Although you aren’t really kneading the dough, the work surface needs to be floured because this dough is very soft and it will definitely stick to a dry board. Once the dough is shaped into a circle that is fairly even in thickness throughout, use a pastry cutter or sharp knife to portion it into six equal pieces. Transfer these pieces onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet.
Bake on a middle rack at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. The best way to check if they are done is to gently press on the top of one and it should be soft, but set. Once they are done, transfer them onto a cooling rack to cool a bit while you make the glaze…
Add about 1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar into a small bowl or a 2 cup measuring cup with a pouring spout, if you have one on hand. You will need somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 of a cup of whole milk to get the right consistency. Add a bit at a time until you get a thick, but drizzle-able consistency. Last, but not least, add a pinch or two of ground cinnamon. I love cinnamon, so I think I added 3 pinches, but add some in, give it a taste and if you want more, add some more!
Once your scones are no longer super hot, drizzle some of the cinnamon glaze over top of each one. The scones will have all sorts of cracks and crevices over their surface, so a lot of the first application of glaze will get soaked up and you may want to make a second pass… just to be safe.
If you are thinking about baking a batch of these up for yourself, know that I am cheering you on. I know you will absolutely love them…
Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients
Pumpkin Scones
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon all spice
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1/8 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, frozen, grated
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Cinnamon Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-3 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
- Place 4 tablespoons of butter into the freezer
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
- Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and spices in a large bowl and set aside
- Combine the pumpkin puree, egg, whole milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl and set aside
- Run the cold butter through the large side of a cheese grater placed over a sheet of wax paper
- Add the grated butter and chocolate chips into the flour mixture and toss lightly to combine
- Add the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and mix just enough to bring the ingredients together into a soft dough
- Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface
- Pat the dough out into a circle about 8 inches wide and evenly thick throughout
- Divide the circle of dough into six equal portions by cutting it like you would a pizza
- Place the scones onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet leaving space between them
- Bake at 425 degrees for 18-22 minutes
- Transfer the scones onto a cooling rack
- To make the glaze, combine 1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon with just enough whole milk to make a pourable consistency
- Drizzle the glaze over the scones
- Serve warm or at room temperature