Pumpkin Scones with Chocolate Chips and Pepitas

I was looking for a new recipe to use some of the leftover pumpkin I had from making some pumpkin muffins and stumbled upon a recipe from King Arthur flour for Harvest Pumpkin Scones.  In my usual style, I had to "play" with the recipe.  I added whole wheat flour, used chocolate chips and pepitas.  Pepitas are pumpkin seeds, so, I thought they would make a great crunchy addition.

A half recipe yielded 8 scones.  The recipe said it made 6, but, I thought they would be too large.  The scones I usually make are cream scones which are light, and they melt in your mouth.  These scones were more traditional in texture, that is, they were drier and more dense.  I think some apple butter might have been the perfect condiment.

The aroma in the kitchen was incredible and the scones really were picture perfect.

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn online. Hope you'll come back soon!

Love,

Susan

Pumpkin Scones adapted from Harvest Pumpkin Scones by King Arthur Flour

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cups whole wheat 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

1/2 cup cold butter (cut into little pieces)

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds - I used salted)

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

2 large eggs

coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.
2. Cut in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.
3. Stir in the chips and pepitas.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs till smooth.
5. Add the pumpkin/egg to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment
7. On a floured board, pat half the dough into a circle 1/2" - 3/4" thick.
8. Using a serrated knife, cut the circle into 8 wedges.  Place wedges on parchment lined baking sheet.
9. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Wedges should have a little space between them.
10. Place in the freezer overnight, uncovered.
11. In the morning, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
12. Take pan out of the freezer.  Place any extra scones in a ziploc freezer bag for another day.
13. Spread out the desired number of frozen scones on a parchment lined baking pan.
14. Brush the top of each wedge with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar.
15. Bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, with no wet crumbs. 

Visit King Arthur Flour for the original recipe

Whole Wheat Cheddar Scones

Whole Wheat Cheddar Scones

I wanted to make a savory scone, but, I wanted to use whole wheat.  So, I came up with this recipe inspired by cheddar biscuits, for whole wheat cheddar scones with a little chipotle kick.  Hope you like it.
Love,
Susan

 

Whole Wheat Cheddar Scones

Yield: Makes 12 – 16 scones

·        2/3 cup all-purpose flour

·        2/3 cup whole wheat flour

·        1/4 cup corn meal

·        3 tablespoons sugar

·        2 teaspoons baking powder

·        1/2 teaspoon salt

·        ¼ teaspoon chipotle pepper

·        1 -1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (1 -1/4 cup and 1/4 cup)

·        3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream  plus extra for brushing

 

1 Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, corn meal, salt, sugar, chipotle pepper, and baking powder. Stir in 1 1/4 cups of the grated cheddar cheese.

2 Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour the cream into the center of the well and mix gently just to bring together the ingredients. If you need to add a bit more cream then do so a tiny trickle at a time. You just want everything to get wet enough so that the dough will clump together.

3 Turn the dough out onto a surface lightly dusted with flour. Knead the dough just a few times - maybe only three or four pushes. You just want it to come together.

4 Divide dough in half.  Pat each portion of the dough into a circle about 3/4-inch to an inch thick. Cut each circle into 6 – 8 triangles.  (Scones can be frozen at this point for later baking.)

5 Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, with at least an inch or two between scones. Brush the tops with a little more cream. Sprinkle tops with the remaining cheese.

6 Bake at 425°F for 11-12 minutes (if frozen, add a couple of minutes) or until golden brown.

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn blog.  Hope you'll visit again, soon.