Fall Scone Recipes

Many years ago, my mother-in-law introduced me to scones. Hers were always delicious, and I've used her recipe, with my own variations, for years. Why not introduce some of the fresh, seasonal fall produce to make these pumpkin or apple scones?

Both recipes are wonderful served warm, with butter, along with a good cup of tea as a midmorning or midafternoon break. They're also great served with a light lunch of home-made soup.

First, prepare the pumpkin by cutting in half, removing seeds and fibre from the interior. Put the 2 halves, skin side up, on baking sheets or in a roasting pan. Some moisture will drip out, so make sure the pan has sides. Bake for 1.5 hours at 325F. When cool, scrape out the cooked pumpkin and puree it in a food processor. Freeze it in 1 or 2 cup batches if you're not using it right away.

• 2 cups flour (can be a mix of 1 cup white, 1/2 cup whole wheat, and 1/2 cup oat, quinoa or spelt flour)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Mix together flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and cut it into the flour. It should look like coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together (it may seem dry, but don't add extra liquid or overmix).

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead gently 3-4 times, and then shape/pat dough into a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Slice in half, and then cut each half into 3 equal pie-shaped wedges.

If desired, brush with egg glaze (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk), and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar.

Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Variations: Add white chocolate chips and/or chopped pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or mixed flour types, as above
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup diced unpeeled apple
• 2/3 cup chopped pitted dates

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a bowl, stir the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together.

Cut the butter into ½ inch cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture.

With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, stir the egg, milk, molasses, and vanilla together.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine; the dough will be sticky. Stir in the apple and dates until evenly distributed.

Knead lightly on a floured board. Form the dough into an 8-inch diameter circle in the center of a lightly greased baking sheet.

With a serrated knife, cut into 8 wedges; bake 22-27 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.