Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze

Pumpkin Scone with Spiced Glaze

Everyone has their own strategy for handling all of the Thanksgiving gluttony. Some of us may think that skipping breakfast and lunch and diving into the festivities with reckless abandon is our best bet. Not so! The good news is that you shouldn't starve all day.  It will just lead to even more overeating later. You may be able to skip lunch, after all, so many of us eat an early dinner on Thanksgiving, but a good breakfast will serve you well!

These pumpkin scones are a great option for Thanksgiving morning! They are special enough to feel like a treat, but with some tricks, they are a much lighter version of regular scones. I use about fifty percent less butter than most scone recipes, half of the flour is whole wheat and they still taste like coffee house scones!

So, treat yourself on Thanksgiving morning, guiltlessly, and enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner and time with your family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Scones

1 C. whole wheat flour

1 C. all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 C. granulated sugar

1/4 C. dark brown sugar

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cloves

1/4 t. ginger

1/2 C. pumpkin

3 T. vanilla yogurt

1 egg

3 T. cold butter, cut into cubes

3 T. canola oil

Spiced Glaze

3/4 C. confectioner's sugar

1 T. + 1 t. milk

1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of clove

pinch of ginger

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper sprinkled with a healthy dose of flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients through the ginger.

In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, yogurt and egg. Set aside.

Add the butter and the canola to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter and oil into the flour mixture until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. This takes a few minutes and some muscle. Add the pumpkin mixture and using a spoon or rubber spatula, fold the wet into the dry just until combined.

Spoon the mixture on top of the floured parchment in one blob. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a good dose of flour. Using your hands, shape the dough into a  9" circle. It should be about 1" high. With a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut through the dough creating 8 wedges.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the scones for 15 minutes.

While the scones are baking, make the glaze by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Remove the scones from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet.

When cooled, cut through the scored lines and separate the scones. Drizzle each scone with glaze. Eat. Enjoy. Be thankful.

Notes:

• Delicious things to add to these scones:  dried cranberries, raisins, walnuts or pecans. I'd start with a half cup. 
• I use almond or coconut milk a lot. So, that's what I use in the glaze. Regular milk works fine too.