Pumpkin Scones: Take 1

I seriously love me some pumpkin scones, bread, soup, pie, lattes ANYTHING!

I really do love a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks

I’ve actually made my own and they were good – but not as good as Starbucks

See, I used to spend a lot of money without thinking about it:

I loved to shop, to eat out (still do!), to order a $12 martini followed by a $38 entrée and then follow-up with a night on the town

Now?  I scour eBay for the latest deals in order to dress my kids (still in style however!)

and I am more apt to whip up dinner here than eat out every few nights

(but, as the wife of a chef, I do get my fair share of fine-dining in, no worries!)

For the most part though, after having kids, I did give up those “no kids” extras:

Smoothies on the go

Take-out once a week

“Wash & Fold” when it just became too much to haul to the laundromat

A stop at TJ Maxx “just to see what was there”

and

Coffee from the coffee shop for morning, noon and, sometimes, night

But now?  Since I live in a city where there is a Starbucks on EVERY corner (or at least every few blocks) and I walk past at least 5 on my way to Reny’s restaurant, & my favorite drink is back on the menu, I allow myself an indulgence every other day  once in a while

But I have learned my lesson on one thing:

Don’t buy food from Starbucks

Sure, it looks scrumptiously delicious sitting there in that case, right at eye level

Those muffins with their cinnamony, crumbly topping, the cake pops with the perfect amount of sprinkles and the scones – oh, those pumpkin scones glistening with yummy glaze … They.  Are.  Gross.

Ok, not gross, but not good either

I do have to admit that, after leaving the gym (when I usually indulge!) it is hard to pass up those treats – especially the pumpkin bread & pumpkin scones – but I have done it for the sake of my taste buds

I also know that I can recreate those yummy treats at home, for half the price and 10x the satisfaction

This recipe is not perfected (I actually made some interesting additions but more on that later) but this was a great start, adapted from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

For the Scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons half-and-half, milk or buttermilk
1 large egg

For the Spiced Glaze:

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

(I skipped the powdered sugar glaze but you can follow the link to Sweet Pea’s Kitchen for her complete recipe!)

Pre-heat the oven to 425˚

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients

Add the cold butter and mix with your hands until crumbly

Mix together the wet ingredients (eggs, milk, pumpkin)

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry – be careful not to overwork your dough!

Using a half-cup measuring cup or your hands – “plop” onto the parchment paper (like you would for drop biscuits!)

Bake at 425˚ for 14-16 minutes until lightly browned

While the muffins are baking:

Mix ingredients for the spice glaze

When the scones are finished baking, drizzle the glaze over top

Enjoy!

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