Pumpkin Scones

Ah, Sunday mornings. My absolute favorite part of the week! It involves hot coffee, the New York Times, and United States of Americana on The Current. Today it also involved watching a handful of cars try unsuccessfully to drive down the glare ice masquerading as a street in front of my house.

One thing missing in this whole scene was the smell of freshly baked breakfast treats wafting from the kitchen, so I searched out a recipe and got to work. I've been craving pumpkin like crazy so yesterday I baked up a huge buttercup squash (always my best pumpkin substitute because I find canned pumpkin tastes like metal).

I used the pureed squash to make a pumpkin spice latte and these scones. They required no specialty ingredients, so I had everything on hand except buttermilk for which I easily substituted plain yogurt. Good thing, since I'm sure my car would have ended up in the ditch or someone's front yard if I had tried to make a trip to the store!

Pumpkin Scones, adapted very slightly from Picky Cook

2 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup squash puree, or canned pumpkin

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix flour and other dry ingredients in food processor. Add in butter and pulse until it's a coarse sandy texture. Mix together yogurt, pumpkin, and vanilla. Add to food processor and pulse until just combined.

Transfer mixture to well floured countertop and shape into a long rectangle, about 3 inches tall, 12 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. Cut into triangles and transfer to parchment lined baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20 minutes or until golden.

ONE YEAR AGO: Roasted Root Veggies and Fish