Kitchen Adventures 6.4

As a librarian, one of my favorite things to do is share knowledge and information. With the social media we have today, this sharing is made even easier. Sometimes, since we are so connected all the time, we can get bombarded with information, which can lead to information overload. At times, when I'm searching for a recipe online, I feel this way. One way we overcome this information overload is by turning to trusted sources, namely people we see as authorities on a subject. For instance, I will turn to my friends that know about computers before checking another source. We like going to a person more than a remote source, generally speaking.

Another way to cut through this overload it to use recipes (or information) people specifically send you because they know you are interested in a subject. Over the past week I have had two people send me recipes, which I love! (If you have a favorite, send it my way!) I received a letter from my Nana with a sugar cookie recipe in it, which I will definitely be using soon. The other was this recipe, which my friend Tara saw on a blog and shared with me via Facebook. That is one of the perks of our social networks, sharing information so easily. She shared the link with me, I checked out the blog and copied the recipe into a Word document and saved it, then I'll copy it from that document into this blog post. The ease of sharing this information makes me more likely to share information because it IS so easy to do. Yay for social networks (in this instance)! also, here is a link to the original blog post: Brown-Eyed Baker

This was a pretty quick recipe to make, and they cooled quick enough for me to get them completely finished within two hours, which is pretty good for me when I'm making a recipe for the first time. Since they are scones they are fairly dense, but the icing and glaze on top add just enough sweetness to make all the chewing enjoyable. These are a great fall treat for sure! Thanks again, Tara, for sharing this with me!

Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze

Yield: 12 scones

Ingredients:

For the Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

For the Powdered Sugar Glaze:
1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

For the Spiced Glaze:
1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. (I just sprayed the baking sheet with cooking spray.)

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger in a large bowl. Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious; set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, half-and-half and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and form the dough into a ball. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle about 3 times as long as wide. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut each of the portions in an X pattern (four pieces) so you end up with 12 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

4. To make the powdered sugar glaze, mix the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth. When scones are cool, use a brush to spread plain glaze over the top of each scone. (I did two coats.)

5. To make the spiced glaze, while the powdered sugar glaze is firming, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced glaze. Drizzle over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (about an hour). (I ended up using the leftover regular powdered sugar glaze and adding 1 c. powdered sugar and about 1 T. milk along with the spices.)