I was stretching at a familiar tempo at my regularly scheduled yoga practice on the evening of Halloween. Jump to plank while keeping your back flat and your arms raised. My thoughts began to stray somewhere between downward dog and upward dog. Where has my favorite holiday gone? Why wasn’t I in costume this year? Exhale and inhale. The Halloween parties are where? Does that imply that something is wrong with my life if I’m not hearing about the parties? Maybe I’m just becoming old for them.
I found myself hanging upside down from my wrists and feet, remembering my time in college. Five years ago, I imagined that I would be asking Grace, my roommate, for assistance with my Princess Leia buns. That evening I would be dancing around to Thriller with my buddies, everyone dressed as a different character and holding a sloshy red Solo cup.
I was exhausted and sentimental when I got home. I poured a glass of wine for myself and ate a mini-peanut butter cup made of dark chocolate. That wasn’t good enough. My housemates and our three-day Halloween celebrations were missed. For old times’ sake, I momentarily considered drinking a shot of whisky (bad idea). Then I realized Grace had requested a recipe for pumpkin scones. When I visited her in Minneapolis this summer, she told me about it. Grace enjoys relaxing mornings with a scone and a cup of black coffee.
At midnight, I put down my glass of wine and got up to make pumpkin scones. After making two batches, I finally had a straightforward whole wheat, vegan pumpkin pecan scone with a delicious maple glaze. In these scones, I chose to use coconut oil rather than butter because it is much simpler to work with and performs just as well. G, I believe you’ll enjoy these.
Also read: Arugula and Cremini Quiche with Gluten-Free Almond Meal Crust
I’m aware that some individuals attempt to stay away from powdered sugar, whether it’s because store-bought versions are frequently modified with corn starch or just because they contain refined sugar. You can produce your own powdered sugar in a blender or food processor, which I thought you might find interesting. I made it with fine organic cane sugar (see above photo, left side), but it can also be made with turbinado sugar or sucanat, according to what I’ve read. Simply pulse the sugar until it is light and fluffy (see right side of above photo)!
INGREDIENTS
- Cranberry scones
- 1 cup uncooked pecans
- 2 cups of either standard or white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 14 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp. of ginger
- 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg1/4 teaspoon of allspice or cloves
- Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
- 5 tablespoons of cold butter or 1/3 cup of solid coconut oil
- 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
- 1/4 cup choice of milk (almond milk, low fat milk, etc.)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- an alder glaze
- 1 cup of icing sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt, fine grain
- 1 tablespoon of melted butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 14 cup of good maple syrup, plus more if necessary
INSTRUCTIONS
- Oven should be heated to 425 degrees. On a parchment-lined baking sheet with a rim, arrange the nuts in a single layer. The nuts should be baked for about 3 minutes, or until aromatic. Cut the nuts into extremely little bits.
- The flour, 34 of the chopped nuts, baking powder, sugar, spices, and salt should all be combined in a medium mixing basin and whisked together.
- Cut the butter or coconut oil into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, combine the butter and flour with a fork or knife after chopping the coconut oil into small pieces.
- Mix in the milk, vanilla essence, and pumpkin puree. Although it will initially seem as though there isn’t enough liquid to wet the dough, keep mixing until the wet and dry ingredients are completely combined. If necessary, knead the remaining flour into the dough with your hands.
- Create a circle out of dough that is approximately an inch deep all throughout. Cut the circle into 8 evenly spaced pieces using a chef’s knife.
- Slices should be separated before being placed on a parchment-lined baking pan. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until just beginning to turn golden.
- In a separate bowl, stir the glaze ingredients until they are well-combined and creamy while the scones are baking. Over the scones, liberally drizzle the glaze (I preferred mine with a solid layer across the top). Sprinkle the remaining chopped nuts over the glaze while it is still wet. Enjoy!
NOTES
Recipe derived from this maple cinnamon glaze and my blueberry lemon scones. Laura’s gorgeous baked maple doughnuts served as the inspiration for the glaze and chopped nut mixture.
CHANGE IT UP: You can alter this recipe by completely leaving out the nuts and/or by including finely chopped dark chocolate. Instead of the glaze, try topping the scones with pecan butter and maple syrup for a heartier, less sweet option.