Pumpkin Scones

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup + 3 tablespoons buttermilk, divided

¾ cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (stick) butter, frozen

¼ cup coarse sugar (optional)

Spice Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION:

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of buttermilk, pumpkin, egg and vanilla.

On the large holes of a box grater, grate the butter. Gently toss the grated butter in the flour mixture to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir gently to incorporate. Batter may seem dry at first but continue to gently stir until it all comes together.

Dump batter onto a small sheet pan covered with parchment paper and shape into a rectangle 10” x 8”. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Remove dough from the fridge. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough in half long ways to create two long, skinny rectangles. Then, cut each rectangle into 12 bars for a bar shape. Or, cut each rectangle into 3 squares, then cut the squares diagonally to create 12 triangles. Leave the dough as is with cut marks (don’t pull them apart) and put them in the freezer while the oven heats, at least 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F and put the baking rack in the center of the oven.

Remove dough from the freezer. Peel bars/triangles off the parchment and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 2” apart. (If the dough is very sticky, use a spatula to lift it from the parchment paper.) Brush the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of buttermilk and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using.

Bake for 17-18 minutes, or until edges are golden. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a cooling rack.

When scones have mostly cooled (about 10-15 minutes), whisk together the glaze ingredients. Drizzle over scones and let dry. Enjoy!

Scones are best enjoyed on the day they are made.