Written for the River Current Publication
This morning I again retreated to the kitchen while my guests remained snuggled under their covers. (It’s getting a little chilly for my California visitors!) My goal this morning was to make something special for my Zachary, who had come home to be a part of the weekend festivities. We only had time for a small breakfast and then needed to make the trek back to OU. With limited time, I resorted to one of his all-time favs…scones!
2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 eggs
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. of whipping cream or half and half, for brushing scones
3 Tbsp. sugar/combined with 1 tsp. cinnamon, for sprinkling on scones
1. Sift dry
ingredients together.
2. Cut in the cold butter.
3. Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla. Slowly add to the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient mixture. If the mixture is too dry, add a small amount of milk or cream, just until the dough comes together.
4. On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a circle; approx. 8 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. Cut into wedges and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Lightly brush with cream and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 14 minutes or until lightly browned.
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp. REAL maple syrup
It
has been a busy few days since my sister’s arrival from California. We have immersed ourselves in enjoying
quality time together; sharing impressive bouts of laughter, hearty
conversations…and as often befitting to my family, abundant food. For my family, great food is the glue that
pulls us all together.
During this busy time, I have found
myself spending very little time at home.
And when I am at home, guess where you will find me? In the kitchen, of course! Often preparing something to share at our next
gathering.
Last
weekend I had the awesome assignment of making my nieces 21st birthday
cake. When I asked her for any special
requests, she said that she wanted “a white cake like grandma always used to
make”. Oh my, what a daunting
assignment. Could I possibly replicate a
cake that would live up to my mother’s standards?
Admittedly, I ended up having a
great time with the challenge. I even
threw in my own twist (of course), by adding a layer of homemade strawberry jam
between the cake layers…along with the fluffiest butter cream frosting you
could imagine. And don’t forget the
finishing touch…a generous sprinkling of our favorite, coconut. Yippee!
The cake was a success, with winning reviews and merely a few crumbs
remaining.
.JPG) |
| Abbey's cake! |
This morning I again retreated to the kitchen while my guests remained snuggled under their covers. (It’s getting a little chilly for my California visitors!) My goal this morning was to make something special for my Zachary, who had come home to be a part of the weekend festivities. We only had time for a small breakfast and then needed to make the trek back to OU. With limited time, I resorted to one of his all-time favs…scones!
Making scones can sometimes be as
daunting as making a pie crust. Having
owned my own tea room and a coffee shop café, I can say that I have thrown
together many, many batches of scones in my day. It is a recipe that I never have to look
up. I guess you could say I have a
master recipe that I like to change, simply by throwing in different
ingredients. This morning, the chosen
ingredient was pumpkin.
Take
a look at my blog this week to see the numerous health benefits that pumpkin
has to offer; along with a recipe for a maple flavored Devon cream that was
absolutely perfect with our pumpkin scones this morning!
Pumpkin Scones
2 cups flour2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 eggs
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. of whipping cream or half and half, for brushing scones
3 Tbsp. sugar/combined with 1 tsp. cinnamon, for sprinkling on scones
2. Cut in the cold butter.
3. Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla. Slowly add to the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient mixture. If the mixture is too dry, add a small amount of milk or cream, just until the dough comes together.
4. On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a circle; approx. 8 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. Cut into wedges and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Lightly brush with cream and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 14 minutes or until lightly browned.
After I made the scones this morning, I was in a bit of a quandary because I had used all of my powdered sugar for Abbey's birthday cake. Often I will make a glaze to drizzle over scones, such as the pumpkin ones I made this morning or the cinnamon swirl version that Zach always enjoys. Personally I prefer delicious Devon cream that is great (and more traditionally) served with scones. After a little brainstorming, I came up with this version and it was delish! Super easy too!
Maple Devon Cream1/2 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp. REAL maple syrup
Put the heavy cream in a mixing bowl and whip on high until the cream begins to stiffen. (Is that a word...stiffen?) Anyway, once the cream is fluffy and happy, slowly stream in the maple syrup and mix until blended. Delish!
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