Simply the most wonderful Pumpkin Scones! It is that time of the year again; Pumpkin Lattes will be available at Starbucks, not that I ever go there but I do walk by their shops from time to time and they smell absolutely amazing with all the beautiful Fall spices! Brings to mind visions of beautiful orange, yellow and brown Maple leaves drifting to the ground. The crunch of said leaves under foot along the many beautiful trails in beautiful British Columbia…hey, that is what it says on the license plates! There is a crispness in the air and we are driven to thoughts of curling up in front of our fireplaces with a good book, a cup of good coffee and something yummy to nosh on. This Spiced Pumpkin Scone recipe I found last year fits the bill to the T! These scones are lightly adorned by not one, but two delectable glazes. Got your mouth watering? Get thee to the kitchen and get cracking on your own Spiced Pumpkin Scones!

2 cups Flour
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
3/4 each, Ground Ginger, Ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1/2 cup Butter, cold and cubed
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Tablespoon Molasses
3 Tablespoons Half and Half
1 Egg
2 teaspoons Vanilla
Simple Sugar Glaze
1 cup Icing Sugar
1 – 2 Tablespoons Half and Half <–I use Luke’s Coffee Milk
Spiced Glaze
1 cup  Icing Sugar
1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Puree
Pinch each: Cloves, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cinnamon
1 – 2 Tablespoons Half and Half

Preheat oven to 400F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all the spices.
Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a small bowl or a large measuring cup whisk together pumpkin puree, molasses, half and half, vanilla and egg.
With a fork stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture just until a soft dough forms.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Gently knead about 10 times.
Gently roll out to 3/4″ thickness and use

Tupperware Fluted Cookie Cutter to cut out scones.
Place on prepared baking tray and bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until golden brown .
Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
While scones are cooling prepare your glazes.
In small bowl stir together icing sugar and half and half to desired consistency.
Load into a Ziploc Freezer bag or a Piping Bag with a small writing tip .
In small bowl combine icing sugar, pumpkin puree, spices; add 1 Tablespoon half and half and stir, adding more half and half to get desired consistency.
Load into another Ziploc Freezer bag or Piping Bag fitted with a small writing tip.
Drizzle first one glaze then the other over the scones.
Let glaze set for about 15 – 20 minutes.
Enjoy!

Serves: 8 Scones

The class I work in at school went to the pumpkin patch before Halloween. I asked the students what they do with their pumpkins once Halloween is over? They all basically shrugged their shoulders, gave me a weird look and said they threw them away, or whatever.

Enter story about how you can peel, cut up and cook the pumpkin and turn it into something yummy. Again, the weird looks. Next Question: Who likes pumpkin pie?All their hands shot up into the air. “Well, where do you think the pumpkin comes from?” Realization sinks in.

In honour of our trip to the pumpkin patch and their new found knowledge that you can cook with pumpkin I have been baking up pumpkin-inspired treats for them.

4 cups Flour
1 1/2 cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon each: Ground Nutmeg, Ginger and Cloves
1 cup Pumpkin Puree (unsweetened canned pumpkin)
3 ounces of Half&Half (Cream)
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 large Eggs, lightly beaten
6 ounces cold Butter, cubed
Glaze
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
1 Tablespoon Milk
splash of Vanilla
Spiced Icing
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
pinch each of Nutmeg, Ginger and Cloves
Milk, to right consistency

Preheat oven to 425F.
Line baking trays with parchment paper or lightly spray with vegetable oil spray and dust lightly with cornmeal.
In Kitchenaid mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger; stir, on lowest setting for about 1 minute.
While that is stirring, combine pumpkin, cream and eggs in a large measuring cup.
Pour cubed butter into combined flour and stir on low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (If not using a mixer, cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender)
Pour in pumpkin mixture and stir just until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn the sticky dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead about 10 times.
GENTLY roll out dough to about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thickness and cut with floured biscuit cutter.
Place close, but not touching, together on prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 14 – 16 minutes in 425F oven, until lightly golden browned.
While scones are baking, lay down two strips of  wax paper, plastic wrap and place cooling racks onto it; this will make your clean up so much easier when you do the final two steps.
Remove from oven, transfer scones to wire rack to cool.
While scones are cooling (about 15 minutes) in small bowl combine first amount of icing sugar, vanilla and milk, stirring until smooth.
Use a pastry brush to brush a layer of glaze onto each scone.

In a small bowl combine icing sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
Add vanilla and enough milk resulting in a thicker glaze (the consistency of mayo or ketchup)
Load the thick glaze into a piping bag or a sandwich bag with a corner snipped off.
Pipe lines of thick glaze over the first layer of glaze.

Yield: about 18 – 24 Scones, depending on what size you make them

This recipe adapted from:
Recipe Girl

I love Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.  I don’t make them nearly often enough! The problem with making them is that I then have to eat them all…I love the citrus taste of these along with the subtle CrUnCh from the poppyseeds. Alright, truth be told? It is the Lemon Glaze that keeps me coming back for more!

1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Poppyseeds

1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/4 cup Sugar
1 large Egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Juice of half a Lemon (zest it first!)

2 cups Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Zest of half a Lemon

Glaze
2 cups Icing Sugar
Juice from half a Lemon
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Milk, to desired consistency

Combine milk and poppyseeds in a large liquid measuring cup and let stand for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F.
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest; make a well in the centre and set aside.
In mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar; add egg and continue creaming until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and lemon juice to poppyseed liquid before stirring into the creamed mixture.
Pour wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and stir only to moisten.
Using a #5 Pampered Chef Scoop, fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.
Bake in 400F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until pick inserted comes out clean, rotating pan halfway through baking.
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

While muffins are cooling, make the Lemon Glaze.

Lemon Glaze
In medium mixing bowl combine icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla; stir.
Add enough milk to your desired consistency…go slow here…easier to add a lil milk than to add more icing sugar!
Spread Glaze over cooling Muffins and let cool completely allowing the Glaze to set before storing in an airtight container.

Yield: 12 Muffins