Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze

To keep in line with the fall spirit here, I have another pumpkin recipe for you today: Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze! If you are a fan of scones and like pumpkin, well, this is right up your alley then! They are very easy and fast to prepare and since they are not too sweet, they make the perfect breakfast or snack at any time of day. The spiced glaze lends an extra flavor dimension to them with the warmth of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves... Let's celebrate the season! :)

 

 

Pumpkin Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 tbsp. half-n-half
1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F.
Mix dry ingredients. Add butter and cut it in using a pastry blender or in food processor. Combine wet ingredients and fold them into dry mix until just incorporated. Form into a ball. Do not knead!
* The key to flaky scones is to handle the dough as little as possible.* Pat the dough onto lightly floured surface to about 1 inch thick. Cut in triangles. Bake for about 14-16 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Once cooled, drizzle with Spiced Glaze.

Spiced Glaze
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. milk or half-n-half
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
a pinch each of ground ginger and ground cloves

Mix all ingredients together until smooth and drizzle over cooled scones. Enjoy!!! :)



Recipe courtesy: browneyedbaker.com
 

Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze



Yes, it is fall!!! In my book, that means pumpkin season, apple season, pear season- you get my meaning... :) I have a ton of recipes with all these ingredients waiting to be posted here, like the Pear-Pecan Muffins I just blogged about yesterday. :) Here is a new recipe for cookies with a delightful pumpkin flavor and maple glaze that are just perfect for this time of year. I made these for a ladies' gathering at our church this week and was asked for the recipe multiple times. So, here it is, as promised: super easy to make and just right to satisfy any pumpkin lover's cravings.

 

Pumpkin Cookies
(makes about 5-6 dozen cookies)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 375F.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together for 1-2 minutes.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour with baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.
Once butter and sugars are creamed, add pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and mix to incorporate.
Gradually add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and beat until just incorporated.
Using a medium-size cookie/ ice-cream scoop or a spoon, drop batter onto lightly greased cookie sheets (or on sheets lined with silicone mats), about 1 inch apart. If you like smoother looking cookies, shape each one into a ball with your hands, place on baking sheets and slightly flatten out with your fingers.
Bake for about 12-14 minutes. Cookies should still feel soft when you take them out, they will harden a little as they cool. Do not overbake. Transfer to wire racks and leave to cool.
Once cooled, the cookies can be glazed. I used the following Maple Glaze which complemented the cookies perfectly.



Maple Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp maple syrup
4-5 tsp milk (or more, to reach desired consistency)

Mix all ingredients together, adding the milk just a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. If you want the glaze runnier, to just dip the cookies in, you can add more milk. I left mine a little stiffer and then filled it in a little zip-lock bag, snipped one corner of it and drizzled the cool cookies with the glaze.



Recipe adapted from: realhousemoms.com

Pear-Pecan Muffins

Fall! I know I have been MIA for a few months... Summer is more or less a time of non-baking in my house. There sure was a whole lot of ice-cream making but the oven was pretty much given a big well-deserved break. With the first cooler days of the season though, my baking addiction kicked in full gear and I was right back in the kitchen, mixing and stirring, developing recipes, and using my family as guinea pigs... :) Pears have been in season for a few weeks now and they are truly delicious! I just had to think up something to bake with them! After some research and a good deal of experimentation, I ended up with a flavor combination that came out better than I even imagined it.

Pear and pecans go so well together in my humble opinion, I decided to pronounce them forever married in this quintessentially fall recipe. To give the whole shebang an extra oomph, I threw in a handful of crystalized ginger as well. Who could resist pears, pecans and ginger together in one place? I knew I couldn't. And my kiddos have been going nuts over these delicious, moist, fluffy muffins too! They pack a punch of flavor with all the warm spices and are also pretty healthy, considering there are four whole cups of pears in them. The nuts give you a good protein kick and are super yummy to boot. I am head over heels in love with these fruity, nutty, spicy muffins!

Pear-Pecan Muffins
(makes 24 muffins)

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup oil (vegetable, canola, or coconut oil)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp flax seed meal
11/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup finely diced crystalized ginger
4 cups peeled and finely chopped pears, about 4 large pears (I used Bartlett)
11/4 cups chopped pecans



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease muffin pans (recipe makes exactly 24 regular size muffins). Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat together sugars and oil. Add eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, flax seed meal, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Mix until combined.
Add crystalized ginger, pears, and pecans.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool on wire racks.