Pumpkin Pie Spice Scones

Well it seems to be all about pumpkin this year so I thought I would add another of my favorite pumpkin recipes to the blog.  Scones are one of my favorite breakfast pastries.  They have that mildly sweet flavor that makes you feel like you're eating dessert while being warm and hearty like a biscuit.

 

These actually took some experimentation to get the consistency I was looking for.  Every recipe I could find called for eggs.  I knew I didn't want eggs in there.  Eggs, because of their fat and protein content, will give baked goods a cakey consistency.  When making say cakes or brownies this is an awesome effect... when making scones or biscuits... not so much.

After nailing down a recipe I thought would work that was egg free I then had problems with the pumpkin... too much and the scones get an overwhelming flavor and the dough is too sticky... too little and they don't get the right color.  I think here I struck a good balance of flavor and color, though it did take quite a few tries.

While I love to serve scones warm with just melted butter (and don't get me wrong, these are great that way) I decided to make a glaze for the remaining ones I didn't wolf down right off the baking tray.  I love the look and taste of the glaze on the scones at Starbucks so I tried to replicate that here.

Just like when making pie or biscuits you need to be sure you don't over mix the dough.  When liquid and flour combine and are agitated gluten beings to form.  The more you work the dough the more your scones are going to resemble a nice baguette.  After you have added the liquid ingredients only mix it until the dough comes together into a large ball.  After that...  STOP!  No one likes chewy scones....

Pumpkin Scone Recipe

Ingredients
yields 8 scones
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
8 T. butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 T. vanilla
1 T. pumpkin pie spice

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a bowl or food processor combine the flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

2) Add the chunks of butter and process until the mixture resembles a course meal.  If you don't have a food processor then you can use a pastry cutter or fork to mash the butter into small pieces in the flour, much like you would for pie dough.

3) Add the pumpkin puree to the mixture and process quickly.  Add the vanilla and whole milk in a steady stream and process until the dough comes together in a ball.  If not using a food processor, incorporate the pumpkin, whole milk, and vanilla into the mixture slowly being careful not to over mix the dough.  The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.

4) Form the dough into a large ball and roll out into a 8-9 inch circle on a floured surface.  Using a pizza cutter or knife cut the dough into 8 evenly sized slices.  Place slices on a greased baking sheet and bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until the scones are lightly browned.

Pumpkin Scone Glaze Recipe

Ingredients
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 T. milk
1/4 t. vanilla
1 t. pumpkin puree
1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice

Directions
1) Combine sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla in a bowl and mix well until combined.  Reserve 3 T. of the glaze mixture in a separate bowl off to the side.

2) Pour the non-reserved glaze over the scones evenly.

3) Add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to the reserved glaze.  Drizzle over the top of the glazed biscuits in a fun pattern.

Looking for other ways to use pumpkin?  Try my lightened up pumpkin bread recipe:

Pumpkin Bread