Pumpkin & Spice Glazed Scones

Pumpkin season is here! Have you been to Trader Joe’s?!  If you have, then you know what I’m talking about- they take it to a whole other level,  it’s  a PUMPKINpalooza. Crazy. I left there in awe of all the pumpkin things they offer- it got me inspired to make a good pumpkin scone. It had to be moist, it had to have the right amount of spice, and it had to have a great glaze. I did three variations of the recipe before I came up with the right mixture of spice. FYI, pumpkin spice mix you buy in the store did not do it. Trust me on this. Pumpkin needs a lot of spice in order to let it sing. See below also for my tips on getting moist, tall scones.

Don’t you just love Fall? A good cup of hot cider, a great scone, the Sunday paper. What more does a girl need?

Pumpkin Spice Glazed Scones

yield: 8 scones

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup sugar

1 Tbsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1  1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. mace (seek this out- it makes all the difference!)

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 stick (1/2 C) cold cubed unsalted butter

1/2 Cup canned pumpkin puree

1 lg. egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3 Tbsp. heavy cream

[Tips for making great scones:]

• Cut the butter first into small cubes, and set back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to keep cold while you measure out the rest of the ingredients.
• Using a food processor helps to avoid overworking the dough AND keeping the butter cold while mixing.
• Do NOT overwork the dough. Overworking/overmixing the dough results in a drier less moist scone.
• Chill the formed scones to help retain their shape when baking (results in a taller scone).
• Always use an oven thermometer to make sure the oven is calibrated to the exact temp called for in the recipe.
• Place the rack in the mid high portion of the oven rather than the lower portion (prevents bottoms getting too brown)

Scones:

In a food processor place the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt. Pulse 4-5 times to combine well. Add the cubed cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal with the butter resembling size of peas.

Dump the flour/butter mixture into a large bowl and form a well in the center. In a glass measuring cup whisk together the puree, egg, vanilla, and cream. Add puree mix to the flour mixture and with a rubber spatula fold in the dry ingredients until combined. DO NOT OVERMIX! Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and pat into a 7 inch circle. Cut like a pie into 8 equal wedges and place scones on  prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches space between scones. Chill the scones in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425° F and prepare a sheet pan with either parchment paper or a Silpat liner.

Bake the chilled scones at 425° F for 15-16 minutes. Avoid overbaking to ensure a moist scone.

Let the scones cool before glazing.

To glaze: Prepare the classic glaze and dip the top of each scone into the glaze (some will run down the sides) and set on a wire rack over a piece of parchment. Once set- mix the spiced glaze and drizzle over each scone. FYI: I think they taste better a bit warm, so I nuke mine in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.

Classic Glaze:

3/4 Cup confectioners sugar + more if needed

2  1/2 Tbsp. milk

In a small bowl whisk together the glaze until smooth. Add a Tbsp. or more confectioners sugar as needed if glaze not thick enough. You don’t want it too thin.

Spiced Drizzle Glaze:

Once the scones are dipped in the classic glaze, use the leftover Classic Glaze in the same bowl and whisk in these spices: 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, pinch of ginger, pinch of cloves.

Note: to turn the glaze a more pumpkin color- I add a bit of chocolate brown gel paste food coloring along with electric yellow gel paste to achieve the perfect pumpkin color; using a toothpick of each at a time until desired color. Wait until the classic glaze is set until you drizzle the spice glaze over.