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