Pumpkin Spice Scones with Salted Caramel & Pecans
 
 
notes - * Why do your ingredients need to be cold? It is important that your ingredients remain cold. The purpose is to keep the butter solid and not let it melt. If your dough is kept cold, it will have little bits of dispersed butter. This results in SHEAR YUMMINESS when you bake these babies in the oven. All that solid butter melts into the dough but leaves pockets and layers in the scones. OH YES. Now, if are making scones in a warm climate, FREEZE yoru butter. Cold butter makes scones rise higher! Did you know all this? It's quite the opposite of baking a cake or cookies. Everything has a reason and this works ...trust me.
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup firmly-packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • OR 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice instead of the ginger, cloves and nutmeg
  • ½ cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (see note about COLD ingredients)
  • ½ cup canned solid-packed pumpkin**
  • ⅓ cup cold milk
  • 1 cold egg, beaten
  • For the salted caramel glaze
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar
  • 1 tbls salted caramel sauce, homemade - easy recipe by baker by nature or store bought is fine
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a large baking sheet with vegetable-oil cooking spray or use a non stick silicone mat. I love MINE!
  2. Chill the bowl and any utensils you will be using in the refrigerator before making the scones. See note regarding why you need to use COLD ingredients.
  3. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg ( or pumpkin pie spice)
  4. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut cold butter into flour mixture until particles are the size of small peas.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, ⅓ cup cold milk, and the egg.
  6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. stir just until mixed. Do not over mix or you will end up with rocks and not scones. ha!
  7. Scones can be cut into any shape you desire. I just dropped heaping tablespoons on the baking sheet but you can shape this dough and cut into triangle or squares.
  8. Make sure they are 2 inches apart to allow for spreading, making 10 -12 mounds.
  9. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool for 15 minutes before you glaze them.
  10. To make the glaze, mix powdered sugar with milk, caramel sauce and vanilla. Drizzle over scones and top with chopped pecans. I like to serve these warm so I reheat them for a few seconds in the oven or microwave.
Recipe by SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL EATING at https://simplybeautifuleating.com/2015/11/04/pumpkin-spice-scones-with-salted-caramel-pecans/