Pumpkin Scones

I read a lovely big blog called Rocks in My Dryer .

Shannon is the blogger I want to grow up to be. On a completely strange little sidebar, I have an identical twin out there in the world who is in no way related to me but she must exist because every once in a while I have someone come up to me and say, "SHANNON!!" and then do a double take and say, "Oh, I thought you were someone else.....wow......huh...." and then they just stand there looking at me funny. It's gotten less awkward as time goes by.

Anyways, Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer has a weekly thingamabob called, "Works for Me Wednesday" where other bloggers can add a little or big tidbit of helpful info to help all of us out in this overwhelming world of ours.

So here's my tidbit for the day. Pumpkin Scones. I make these all the time. And I've been promising someone the recipe for about a year now, so, here ya go J. See? Even when I blog I'm multi-tasking. What a woman.

Pumpkin Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all dry ingredients together.

Cut butter into dry mix using two knives, a pastry blender or if you're really lucky and your husband bought you a beautiful red KitchenAid Mixer for Christmas, you can use that. Blend until the consistency of course crumbs.

Mix buttermilk, pumpkin and vanilla together in a separate bowl.

Pour wet ingredients into flour and butter mixture.

Mix until everything just comes together....do NOT over mix. I'll come over and tsk tsk tsk if you do.

Pour mixture out onto a clean dry surface.

Knead dough 5 or 6 times, just enough to get the ingredients into a ball.

Gently press dough into a circle.

Cut circle in half, then cut each half into three. If you've done it right, you'll end up with six scones. Yay for math.

Get out two baking sheets. Put them together.

Place scones on top sheet (yes, you need to do this step. I don't know why, but putting the two sheets together helps in the baking process).

Bake at 400 degrees for 22 minutes.

While your lovely scones are cooling, make yourself some icing. Easy peesy.

1Tbsp butter
A bunch of icing sugar
A dab of vanilla
A smidge of hot water

Mix butter, some icing sugar and a bit of hot water together until creamy. Add vanilla. Continue adding icing sugar until the icing is the consistency you want.

Spread icing onto cooled scones.

For an added flair, reserve about a third of the icing you've made. Add about a teaspoon of cinnamon, then pipe the cinnamon icing onto the iced scones.

Enjoy!

I always double the recipe. And I never have buttermilk in the house. Just put 1 tsp of vinegar into 1/3 cup milk and voila! And I never use butter. I use margarine and they're delicious, but they'd be even better if you use butter.

Now....if someone has a great recipe for Cranberry and Orange scones, I'd be most grateful.