Pumpkin Scones

This recipe for pumpkin scones I'd bookmarked for over a year, and only just now got around to making them. I enjoyed these biscuits flavoured with pumpkin pie spices before dinner, for dinner accompanied by Hearty Italian Bean and Pasta Soup and for dessert, together with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. Dense, but flaky, these are quite possibly the most satisfactory baked breaded delights I have produced to date.

Clearly, this is an appropriately tempting recipe to submit to Ruth's Bookmarked Recipes.

Pumpkin Scones

2 cups of unbleached white flour
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 cup of cold, unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 of buttermilk or yogurt
1/2 cup of cooked or roasted pumpkin
1 teaspoon of vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the butter is reduced to little bits. In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until a dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times. Shape the dough into little rounds (roughly 1 inch thick and 2 inches in diameter) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes roughly 6 - 8 scones.