Pumpkin Scones

We love pumpkins! Pumpkins can add so much flavor and moisture to whatever you are baking. Did you know that you can substitute a can of pumpkin puree for the oil and eggs in a cake mix? The outcome is a rich and moist delicious cake! Did I mention that it also has less calories? Amazing.

I found this recipe the other day while looking for recipes for pumpkins. Scones. I've never made scones. However, I know I like to eat scones! Not being a fabulous baker, I didn't know if they were difficult to make. I tend to look for easy recipes when baking.  So when I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Harvest Scones  by King Arthur Flour I gave it a thumbs up and I put it on my list of things to try to bake.

I'll be bringing a big basket of these to our family gathering for Thanksgiving Dinner!

I adapted the recipe from the King Arthur Flour Harvest Pumpkin Scones recipe. For the original recipe please follow the link I have provided.  I didn't have cinnamon chips, or crystalized ginger chips. On my next shopping trip I'll pick those up.
These were easy enough to make.  We were eating them hot out of the oven. Delicious!

Pumpkin Scones

2 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup cold butter cut into pats

2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs

1 cup dried cranberries (choc. chips, cinnamon chips, raisins, etc)

Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Add the butter and work into dry ingredients. Your mixture will be uneven and crumbly. Do not over work. It's ok if you see pieces of butter that haven't been fully incorporated.
Add dried cranberries/raisins.

In another bowl whisk pumpkin with the 2 large eggs. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture.
With a spoon mix in together. Do not over mix, or the scones will become tough. The dough will be lumpy,  and sticky.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and flour the parchment paper.

Divide the dough in half and form 2 circles each  about 5" - 6 " round and 3/4 inch thick.

Brush each circle with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Using a knife cut into 6 pieces/wedges and gently pull apart so that the pieces don't touch each other, about 1/2 inch apart.  Freeze for 30 minutes uncovered.

While the scones are in the freezer preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bake scones 22 - 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out of the center clean.

Enjoy!

If you have any questions, please email me. I'd love to hear from you!
Thefoodcrawl@gmail.com

Boun Appeitito!
xoxo
Lorraine

Hot and out of the oven 

Circles brushed with milk

cut into 6 wedges

Sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon

into freezer for 30 minutes

Another batch of yumm!

Pumpkin Cheese Cake

I saw a recipe in my local paper The Journal News the other day and it looked fabulous. It was for a Pumpkin Cheesecake. This time of year anything made with pumpkin gets me excited. I love the taste of pumpkin! Pumpkin and butternut are my favorite.
The recipe is adapted from a country singer Trish, that's all I remember about her. I did change a few things in the recipe, but I don't think that it would make that much of a difference. She used pecans and I used walnuts (its's what I had in the house) and I added a hint of orange zest...because I like it. Otherwise, everything else is pretty much as Trish said to make it.

20 gingersnap cookies crushed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped fine
1/2 stick unsalted butter melted

mix all together and line the bottom of a 9" spring form pan and bake in a  350 preheated oven for 8 - 10 minutes.  Let cool.

With an electric mixer,
Beat 16 ozs of cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar .
Add 1 tsp vanilla.
Add 3 eggs, adding each egg, one at a time.
Mix well.
Reserve one cup of the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

To the cheese mixture add 1 cup of pumpkin puree
1/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
*orange zest
taste it and see if you want to add some more cinnamon or nutmeg. I did!

Take your mixture out of the refrigerator and only using half of the reserved mixture drop spoonfuls into the bottom of your pan. Now put your pumpkin mixture on top. Now spoon the remaining cheese mixture onto of the pumpkin mixture. Using a butter knife swirl through the top and make a marble design.

Bake at 350 for 50 - 60 minutes.
Trish didn't say to bake the cheesecake in a water bath, but I went ahead and did that anyway. I can't wait to take a bite of this one!
Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxoxo
Buon Appetito
Lorraine

Pumpkins are not just for Pie

Usually when I think of pumpkins I usually think of a delicious pumpkin pie.
I love pumpkin pie!
But for today let's think of the pumpkin in another way other than "pie".
For instance if you carve out the inside of the pumpkin you can use it for a vase and make a lovely fall centerpiece for your table.

We hollowed out the inside of the pumpkin and then arranged some lovely fall flowers inside the pumpin that we thought would look nice on our table. It looked beautiful!

Another way you can use a pumpkin is to use it as an actual serving dish. You just need to find the right size pumpkin that you want to work with!

This recipe was so easy to make. In fact I made 3 different variations of this pumpkin dip.
Recipe 1

8 ozs cream cheese - softened at room temp
2 cups powdered sugar
Mix the powdered sugar and cream cheese together until smooth
Add 15 ozs of pumpkin puree
add 1 tsp of each spice  cinnamon, ground ginger,  and  ground nutmeg
adjust to your taste
zest of one orange and mix all together and put into pumpkin
sprinkle top with a little bit of brown sugar

Recipe 2

1 package of instant vanilla pudding
1 pint of whipping cream
With an electric mixer beat on med and then high speed for about one minute until thick
fold in 15 ozs pumpkin puree
add cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg
add zest of one orange
chill for 20 minutes and then fill pumpkin and serve

Recipe 3

1 package of instant vanilla pudding
1 large container of Greek Yogurt (I used Fagee)
Beat with electric mixer until thick
add pumpkin puree and spices and orange zest as above
chill for 20 minutes before serving

Serve this with some gingersnap cookies, cinnamon grahams, pecan sandie, and some sliced apples.

Buon Appetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine