Weekday Vegetarian: Pumpkin Cheddar Scones

Photo: Kelly Rossiter/CC BY 2.0

I've been going through a lot of pie pumpkins recently, making pumpkin rugelach, pumpkin rice krispie treats and using up the seeds, baking them in a curry seasoning. You can use canned pumpkin for any recipe calling for pumpkin puree, but it's great to use the fresh stuff in season. I generally roast the pumpkin before using it in a recipe, and then you can put it in the food processor to puree it.

This was a very nice recipe with a good balance between the pumpkin and the cheese. They were great with a cup of tea, or a glass of mulled apple cider might make it the perfect autumn afternoon treat.

This recipe is from the website Lemons and Anchovies.

Pumpkin Cheddar Scones

2¾ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ + ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
½ cup cold butter, cut in cubes
¾ cup pumpkin purée
2 eggs
¼ cup milk plus more for brushing scones
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F.

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Work in the butter using a pastry cutter until the mixture is a little crumbly. You can use your hands, too, to distribute the butter a little better but unevenly crumbly would be okay. Stir in the grated cheese.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and 2 eggs until the mixture is smooth then add to the dry ingredients and stir together. At this point the mixture will seem dry with a bit unincorporated dry ingredients. Add ⅛ cup of the milk then stir together again. If needed, add the other ⅛ cup milk and combine the dough with your hands in the bowl using a kneading motion. The mixture will be moist and stick to your fingers if you used the entire ¼ cup milk.

4. Scrape the dough onto a lightly-floured work surface. Bring the dough together into a round and flatten with your hands until the dough is roughly ½ – ¾ inch thick. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut a piece of the dough and transfer onto your baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little milk and bake in the oven for 11 – 13 minutes or until the scones are golden. Serve warm.