Harvest Pumpkin Scones

Little hand reaching for some Harvest Pumpkin Scones.

Scones are those refined treats that make everyone think they are eating with the Queen herself.  And trust me, me thinks the Queen would quite like these Harvest Pumpkin Scones.  But, before I get into the recipe, let us first talk November and how to properly get pumpkin puree for all of those delightful pumpkin recipes. After all, the Queen is arriving for some scones.  

I am one of those staunch, will-not-waver, darnnit Thanksgiving exists type of people. Christmas does not enter this house until the first of December.  Turkeys have feelings too!  Ask my mom and dad, proud owners of Timmy the tom turkey, who is very vocal about his hatred of the dogs and his love for his flock, which weirdly included me when we visited.  And yes, it was really creepy for that turkey to be by my side doing his little turkey-dance every time I went outside.  But, you can’t blame a turkey for trying, right? 

Since we have now agreed that turkeys have feelings, and November should be the month of Thanksgiving, we can return to fall harvest foods, like pumpkin!  

Perhaps you’re thinking of your mom’s pumpkin pie sitting front and center at the Thanksgiving table, and I bet on the recipe card she so lovingly wrote for you, she has 15 ounces of canned pumpkin written right there.  Canned pumpkin, eh?  For shame, mother!  Close your eyes for a moment and imagine opening a can of Libby’s pumpkin puree.  My, how frighteningly orange it is!  Now, take a look at the photo below.

This, folks, is what actual cooked pumpkin looks like.  Yes, like baby food.  There is no way to make this photo look glamorous.  Just know that a pumpkin puree's glamour is in its taste.  This yellowy-orange color is what makes my husband always question my pumpkin recipes with, “Are you trying to trick me and feed me squash?” Let's not get into logistics about the word "squash".  Just know that my husband does not use it in a positive light.

Now, you’re going to tell me that you don’t have time to make fresh pumpkin.  Slice off the top, halve it, pull out the seeds, put it upside down in a pan filled with one inch of water, put in a 350 degree oven and walk away for 30-45 minutes.  That takes me, and I know, because I timed it for all of you naysayers out there, 6 minutes, not including the bake time (I admit, I am a semi-pro, thinking of going full pro, pumpkin gutter, so maybe it takes you a few minutes longer).  

Scooping out the flesh into a food processor with a bit of extra water, pulsing it for 20 seconds and then putting into mason jars took another 3 minutes.  Less than 10 minutes to have fresh, delicious, and healthy pumpkin puree, which yields a better texture to baked goods, and tastes better in recipes.  Remember, you want sugar pumpkins, not the carving kind. 

If you really think you can’t spare the 10 (semi-pro status) minutes, buy organic canned pumpkin.  It will cost you about a dollar more, but the quality will be far better. In the off-season, and when I have neglected to hoard sugar pumpkins and keep them in my 1800’s cellar (aka, a cool garage), organic canned pumpkin works just fine.   

Now, that you have your home-cooked pumpkin puree, onto the Harvest Pumpkin Scones recipe!  I adapted it from the King Arthur recipe, and only very slightly.  I made it the first time with a gluten-free flour mixture (and yes, the mix quality you use DOES MATTER), and I could serve these to anyone with none the wiser they were eating gluten-free.  The recipe as is, gluten and all, yields the same great-tasting, Queen-approved scone.

·       2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or King ArthurGluten-Free Flour (add1 tsp xanthan gum if using GF)

·       1/3 cup sugar 

·       1 tablespoon baking powder

·       3/4 teaspoon salt

·       1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

·       1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·       1/2 cup cold butter (I grab mine out of the frig just before it's time to add it)

·       2/3 cup fresh pumpkin

·       2 small eggs

·       Coarse sugar (I only had regular sugar for this picture- worked just fine) for topping

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and grease a sheet pan. 
• In a food processor, combine all dry ingredients and pulse to mix.  (Don't have a food processor?  Get one!  Seriously, I use this guy about 4 times a week.)
• In a separate bowl, combine eggs and pumpkin and mix together.  
• Add cold butter cut into 1 TBSP chunks to food processor.  Pulse until mixture resembles cornmeal.
• Pour food processor contents into egg and pumpkin mix. 
• Using hands or a spatula, combine until ingredients just come together. 
• Turn out onto a floured surface, gather into a ball and pat down into a 2” high circle.  Cut into triangles and place on greased sheet pan. Or, for my Misawa peeps remembering Café Live Forever, cut into circles. 
• Brush each scone with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake 22 to 25 minutes. 

Ta-da! These scones are sturdy scones, not cakey or fluffy at all, just how a scone should be in my opinion.  We eat ours sliced in half with some peach jam slathered on top.  The original recipe calls for cinnamon chips or chocolate chips, but I don't like a scone trying to put on airs.  Plus, the Queen hates to get chocolate on her gloves.   

Next up: the start of our Thursday Work Out Series!

Time to fly,

Liz