Pumpkin Scones

       My sister just posted a recipe for some really tasty Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts, and here I am again with another  pumpkin recipe. Though I've heard that some people get irritated by the abundance of pumpkin-related-everything during the fall season, deep down I'm sure they secretly love everyone else's obsession. So here I am to indulge said obsession and offer a recipe for Pumpkin Scones! Scones actually originated in Scotland in the early sixteenth century, but now have become most associated with England--where they are pronounced "scawns" as in "gone." According to foodreference.com, the ritual of having scones during afternoon tea began when Anna, the Duchess of Bedford (1788-1861), had servants bring her various teas and sweet breads, among which included scones. She loved them so much that she ordered them every afternoon, thus influencing the afternoon tea tradition as well as a new harboring for the love of scones.

       What makes scones different from other biscuits or quick breads is that the leavening comes from baking powder and not yeast. (Originally they were not made with baking powder because it wasn't widely available, and scones were flat. Once baking powder was widespread, it quickly became a key ingredient in scones.) The love for scones has now spread globally and each country imparts its own special variations--sweet and savory. Today, I offer you a sweet version. But do not be deceived, these are not sweet as a cookie would be. Instead, think of a biscuit which has a slight sweetness to it--that is what these particular scones are like--perfect for accompanying a cuppa. I should also note that the pumpkin flavor in this recipe is not overwhelming; rather, I would describe it more so as a slight aftertaste, noticeable after the initial wave of spices retreat. At least that is how they are when fresh. Afer sitting for a while, the pumpkin flavor seems to settle in more.

 

Pumpkin Scones
recipe from kingarthurflour.com


Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin (about a 1/3 of a can, if you were wondering)
• 2 large eggs
• milk (for brushing)
• extra sugar and cinnamon (for sprinkling)

Directions
--In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.

*May I just note that even though I harped on the historical importance of baking powder in scones I still forgot to use it! So your scones may turn out a little fluffier than what I have pictured. Just know that they still taste good without it.* =)

--In a different, smaller bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs until smooth.

--Cut up the cold butter into cubes and cut them into the dry ingredients (your large bowl) with a pastry cutter until all the butter pieces are approximately pea sized or so.

--Add the wet ingredients (small bowl) to the dry ingredients (large bowl) and stir them together as best you can. Everything should be moistened and able to hold together; I used my hands towards the end.

--Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Separate the dough into two parts, round them into flat disks (about 5 inches diameter, 3/4 inches thick), and place them on sheet.

--Brush each disk with milk and then sprinkle some sugar (coarse is best if you have any; I didn't) and some cinnamon (not too much otherwise it will easily burn).

--With a cold knife, slice each disk as you would a pizza, and then pull out the wedges from each other, about 1/2 inch apart on each side.

--Now transfer the scones to the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm up the butter. This allows for the best texture and highest rise from the scones. (A fridge works fine as well, just let them chill longer.)

--Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F.

--After chilling, bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown. An inserted toothpick should come out completely clean. The edges of the scones shouldn't look doughy.

--Preferably serve scones warm as this is when they taste the best, but they taste good cooled as well. Store leftovers in an airtight container.




Happy Baking!
--H

Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

It seems every year the holiday season starts in September and runs together in a blur of candy, pumpkin flavored everything, deep fried turkeys, and financially crippling gift giving. I happen to love the holidays, but more importantly I love them separately. This seems to be a left wing mindset anymore. Department and craft stores would have you believe that it is absolutely necessary to decorate your homes to the gills with tinsel and lights and shiny ornaments the day after Halloween! They seem to have forgotten that there is another holiday between Christmas and the end of October. You know that little holiday that used to be about giving THANKS for what abundance you currently have and the struggles you have come through in the past year. Rather it seems that we should continue on from our greedy candy comas straight on to Christmas without so much as slowing to appreciate a fallen leaf or a slice of pie. Well I refuse. I'm going to enjoy my holiday season with my family like it was meant to be, without succumbing to the pressures of hyper consumerism. I'm going to enjoy pumpkin-y things, leave my squash and acorn decorations strewn about for another 20 or so days, and prepare to fix the best Thanksgiving dinner I've made yet. No Christmas tunes, twinkly lights, or candy canes until after that epic meal. Doesn't that sound wonderfully calm and delightful? I agree. So enjoy your coffee, slowly, this weekend and savor these moist (nearly healthy) doughnuts without guilt! Christmas will be here soon enough for you to drown yourself in eggnog, cookie platters, and mountains of presents...

Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

adapted from: kingarthruflour.com

1/2 c. cocunut oil (or canola and in theory butter would work also)

3 large eggs

1 c. granulated sugar

1 can pumpking puree

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, or 3/4 tsp cinnamon plus heaping 1/4 tsp each groundginger and nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 c. plus 2 T. all purpose flour

3/4 c. whole wheat flour (if your not using, just use regualr flour for both amounts)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a doughnut pan, or 2 if you have them. If you don't you can use muffin tins and just bake them longer.

Beat together everything but the flour until smooth. Then stir in the flour until just combined. Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full.

Bake for 15-18 minutes. I pulled mine at 15 because whole wheat flour can be a little drying so I wanted to make sure they would be moist. Let them cool in the pan for 1-2 mintues and then carefully transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool another minute.

While they are still quite warm, shake them around in some cinanmon and sugar, or use more of the pumpkin pie spice and sugar. Serve with coffee, hot apple cider, or milk.

So much better than Dunkin Doughnuts and cheaper too! Gotta love that!

Enjoy life homemade!

~LL

Honey Pumpkin Muffins

     It's hard to believe it's already the fall season isn't it? I don't know about you, but summer time goes by way too quickly for me. But saying goodbye to days spent at the lake, splashing around in the water, and drinking freshly squeezed lemonades isn't so terrible when I remember they days that are now upon us. Light jackets or sweat shirts, hot apple cider, crisp fall breezes, beautiful turning leaves, hay rides, and corn mazes--just a few of my favorite parts of my favorite season. Fitting right into all of this: pumpkin. To me, pumpkin equals fall. Therefore, in the spirit of embracing the future instead of mourning the past I bring you Honey Pumpkin Muffins! These have become some of my favorite fall muffins, and I think the uniqueness of the honey does that. Granted, the honey flavor itself is very subtle and you probably wouldn't know it's there unless somebody told you, but the muffins are sweet and pumpkin-y. They are very moist and have a density that I think muffins should have. After all, they have to be different from a fluffy cupcake somehow. The only thing I would potentially do differently do differently is make a different sort of streusel topping--a more crumbly one--though I did enjoy the polka dot effect the streusel I used provided.

Honey Pumpkin Muffins
recipe slightly adapted from honey.com

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup pure honey
• 1 egg
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts (optional)

 Note: This recipe takes very well to doubling. If using canned pumpkin, this will also use up the whole 15oz can instead of just half.


Streusel Topping

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons butter

Directions
--Preheat oven to 350°F and line a standard-size muffin/cupcake tin (or jumbo muffin/cupcake tin) with paper liners.

--In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and freshly ground nutmeg. Set it aside for now.

--Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter until it's light. Then beat in the honey, egg, and pumpkin.

Tip: Spray the measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring out the honey. This will allow the honey to slide right out of the cup instead of you standing there fighting to scrape the last globs of honey out.

-- Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just blended. If using walnuts, stir those in now too.

--Fill the lined muffin tins with the batter, 3/4 of the way full if you want big muffin tops. Otherwise just do half full.

 --If using the streusel: combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Then cut in the butter. (If the butter is too soft the streusel won't be crumbly but will look like the pieces in the above picture. It still tastes good though.) Sprinkle as much desired streusel on top of the raw muffins.

-- Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes for standard-size muffins, or 35-40 minutes for jumbo muffins. A toothpick inserted in center of a muffin will come out clean when the muffin is done. Remove the muffins from the tin and put 'em on a wire rack to cool/prepare to be eaten.





Happy Baking!
--H

Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread

       "Ooh eeh, ooh ah aah, ting tang, walla walla bing bang! Ooh eeh, ooh ah aah, ting tang, walla walla bing bang!" Yes, it's true. Monkey bread makes me sing. =) It's just so fun! I mean, how can you not love something called "monkey bread"? And truth be told, that's the only reason why I decided to make it for our second post. I wanted to make something that would make people smile, because everybody deserves a little happiness in their life.  So when I came across Sugarcrafter's Pumpkin Monkey Bread recipe, I felt a little giddy inside...mainly because I haven't thought about monkey bread in forever. Shame on me. Anyway, I thought something pumpkin sounded tasty, but then I just wanted something really spicy. As in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc. spicy. Not hot spicy. (Is there an easier way to explain that? I get so confused...) So I ended up adjusting the recipe a bit, and it was scrumptious. However, because I did add so many extra spices, I really couldn't taste a whole lot of pumpkin. So next time I want something pumpkiny, I'll just make the recipe "right".  


Recipe slightly adapted from Sugarcrafter
Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread

Ingredients

For the dough

• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 2 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup warm milk (about 110°F)
• 1/4 cup warm water (about 110°F)
• 2/3 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 ounce active dry yeast

For the coating

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 stick butter, melted

Note: Because I "super coated" my dough I used double this. Also, the smaller the pieces you make, the more coating you need because you'll have more surface area to cover.

Directions
--In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and spices.

--In a separate bowl, pour in warmed milk and water. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquids and let sit for a few minutes, until the top is nice and frothy. (If you don’t get the froth, you either have bad yeast or you killed it, so start over.) Then mix in the pumpkin purée, melted butter, and sugar.

--Pour your liquid mixture into your flour mixture, a little at a time, stirring gradually until it is all combined.

--Once combined, knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Then place the dough into a bowl which has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover the bowl with a clean, moist cloth, and let the dough double in size. This will take about an hour.

--When the dough has risen, stir together the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Melt the butter in a separate microwaveable dish.

--Spray your Bundt pan with cooking spray.

--Remove the dough from the bowl and press it into a rectangle. Don’t bother with using a rolling pin since you’ll be cutting up the dough anyway.

--Using a sharp knife, or a pastry scraper, cut the dough into equal-ish pieces and roll said pieces into balls. How big you want your pieces will determine how many balls you get. I wanted small balls, so I ended up with sixty pieces.

--Once you have all your pieces rolled, dip them into the butter, shake off the excess, and roll them in the cinnamon-sugar. When I did this, I put several pieces of dough in the butter at a time, but took them out one at a time to roll in the sugar. I also made sure I had an excessive amount of coating on the balls. This way, I didn’t need to make a glaze at the end of baking because I’d already have a delicious sticky mess when I was done baking. Note: If you decide to do this, you will end up needing more cinnamon-sugar. Place the coated balls in the Bundt pan as you go.

--Once you’ve completed coating, cover the Bundt pan once more and let the dough rise for one more hour.

--Finally, before that hour is up, preheat your oven to 350°F. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.

--Let cool for a little while before flipping your pan onto a serving dish.

--Serve warm and enjoy =)

Happy Baking!

--H