Happy Halloween! As the last day of October, we feel that it’s only proper to bid adieu to this pumpkin-centric month with a properly themed breakfast. When it comes to the spooky holiday, most of the activities are centered around nightfall but we say, why not start the day off with a little Halloween spirit? Everyone loves the flavor of pumpkin and pumpkin spice. In fact, we love it so much that we can’t help but put a little bit of it into every dessert we can imagine from brownies to pancakes to bundt cakes. Today, we’re adding to our collection of recipes with these scrumptious Pumpkin Scones. Made with freshly pureed pumpkin and filled with all the warm autumnal spices we love, these breakfast pastries are one thing we can’t get enough of for Halloween and the rest of the fall season. And if you love pumpkin-everything, chances are you’ll love the flavor of pepitas. We roast them on top of the scones to give them an added crunchy texture and delicious roasted, savory flavor that complements the sweetness of the pastries.
Pepitas are also known as unhulled pumpkin seeds. Unlike the hard white seeds that come from the typical pumpkins you’d carve, pepitas come from particular varieties of pumpkins and grow green-colored and shell-less. These crunchy beloved little seeds make a wholesome and delicious nutrient-packed treat and are packed with protein and fiber. Unlike sunflower seeds which must be unshelled for eating, pepitas can be eaten straight out of the bag or used whole in recipes. Their nutty flavor They can be marinated in sauces, salt and spices and roasted in the oven for a delectable, savory snack. Or you can toss them into salads for an extra crunch. Or to stick with this season’s autumnal theme, you can bake them into desserts, breads, muffins and more.
Pumpkin Scones with Pepitas
Yields: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup of fresh pumpkin, pureed
- 3 tablespoons of pepitas
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of milk
- 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- Sugar, for sprinkling
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, milk and 1 egg.
2. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut in the butter into the dry ingredients mixture until it looks like coarse crumbs.
3. Make a well in the center and stir in the pumpkin puree mixture into the dry flour mixture gently. Do not overwork the dough or else it’ll become tough and dry.
4. Lightly flour a flat surface. Roll out the dough to about 3/4-inch thick and use a round cookie-cutter to cut out 8 scones. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the dough rounds on top, leaving enough space in between each scone.
5. Take the other egg and separate the egg white from the yolk. Lightly beat the egg white and brush on top of each scone. Press the pepitas onto the top of the scones, making sure that they stick.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow for them to cool completely. Once cooled, sprinkle on some more sugar on top before serving.