Sugar & Spice Pumpkin Scones

I am a Pinterestholic and I don't care who knows it, especially when I find recipes like this.  You know the kind,  very catchy picture and mouthwatering description.  I just couldn't pin it and forget it, so I woke up this morning and made it.  Tis the season for pumpkin and it hasn't quite wore out it's welcome in my home yet.  The recipe is very simple and it is not too sweet.  Perfect with a hot cup of joe in the morning.  The doozie is honestly the cinnamon glaze drizzled over it!

Sugar & Spice Pumpkin Scones

1 Cup whole wheat flour
1 Cup AP flour
⅓ Cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp salt
1 TB cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg

1 stick cold butter cubed

½ cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 TB milk

Sugar & Spice Topping
3 TB sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cinnamon Glaze
1 Cup powder sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
3 TB milk

Preheat oven to 350

In a medium size bowl mix together flours, sugar, powder, soda, tartar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add cold butter and mix using a pastry blender until resembles course sand.

In a small cup add ½ cup of pumpkin puree, 1 egg and 1 TB milk.  Mix well and add to dry ingredients mixing only until blended and all the flour is no longer visible.  Knead the dough 5 times to make a uniform ball.  Place on Pampered Chef stone baking sheet and press down until a round disk about 8" across is achieved.  Gently brush the water on the top of the dough and sprinkle with sugar and spice mixture.  Cut into 8 even pie pieces and bake at 350 for 14-17 minutes.

While it is cooling mix up the ingredients for the glaze and drizzle graciously over the scones.
 

Starbucks Chocolate Cinnamon Muffins

 When my Mom and I make a trip to Amarillo, it usually ends with us stopping at Starbucks for a sweet black tea and chocolate cinnamon bread.  My Mom is the one who even got me wanting this stuff in the first place.  I usually want vanilla bean scones or the berry pound cake.  I will never make that mistake again ;) This stuff is addicting.  Its moist, bitter, sweet, and then its spicy. Not hot spicy, I mean cinnamon, ginger and cloves.  It is sooooo good.  I usually tend to keep spiced bread recipes stowed away for fall this one I will use all year long.

Starbucks Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

3 sticks of unsalted butter (room temp)

3 cups of granulated sugar

5 large eggs (room temp)

2 cups AP flour

1 3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 TB cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Start by creaming together 3 sticks of unsalted room temp butter with 3 cups of granulated sugar.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  This could take up to 5 minutes to achieve. 

Once your butter is creamed add your room temp eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. 

If you are a multi-tasker you can begin to measure out your dry ingredients.  

In a mixing bowl sift together 2 cups AP flour, 1 3/4 cup cocoa, 1 TB cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, & 1/2 tsp baking powder.

Also in a liquid measuring cup add 1 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup water and 1 tsp vanilla.

To your butter and egg mixture begin adding your dry ingredients.  You will alternate between dry ingredients and the milk mixture 3 times beginning and ending with your dry ingredients.  

Mix until just incorporated.  By the way if you are not sure what a pretty batter is well this is it.  It's a smooth, creamy texture and the color screams chocolate.  Its not too wet and its not too dry.  So now you know :)

Scoop batter into lined muffin pans, or grease and flour 2 loaf pans.   You can now mix up the chocolate cinnamon sprinkle for the top.

Cocoa-Spiced Sugar Crust

Mix together:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cocoa powder

pinch of ginger

pinch of cloves

Generously sprinkle on top of the muffin batter.  

Bake at 375 for 17 minutes if you are baking muffins.  Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes for a loaf.

I made the muffins today because this was a pregnancy craving and I didn't think I could make it the full 45 minutes on waiting for the loaf to finish!!

These muffins are light, moist, chocolaty, spicy and just out of the world.  You can eat them for breakfast, make them for a brunch of even have as a dessert.  I wouldn't stop at just one either!!  My Husband had eaten three before I got then out of the pan to take pictures.  He is a icing man also so he suggested a glaze over the top.  I have no problem with that but why fix something that is not broken!

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

Is it just me or does anything with the word pumpkin in it sound delicious?  Something about that bright orange squash that is absolutely scrumptious during the fall months!  I can't help myself on Pinterest to want to tag anything associated with it!  So in the upcoming weeks you may see more than your share of pumpkin recipes.  This is one that my sister Katie found while we were down in Galveston.  It was in a recipe book my Papa actually gave us and I have not even bothered looking for a better one since.  You make your own call.  

Combine 3 cups of granulated sugar, 1 cup of extra light olive oil and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  

Add the four eggs and beat until well combined.  Set aside.

In another large bowl combine 3 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp salt, 1 TB cinnamon, 1 tsp ground nutmeg and 1 tsp pumpkin spice.  Whisk together and add alternately with 2/3 cup of water to the egg and sugar mixture.  Beat in 1- 15 oz can of pumpkin.  

You can either then bake in a loaf pan or make muffins like I did.  This recipe will make 2 dozen muffins bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.