- 8
Ingredients
- 2 cups (about 9 oz. or 255 grams) all-purpose unbleached flour (I use King Arthur)
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top of scones
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
- Scant ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Scant ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage (optional)
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup butternut squash puree (see below for directions)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing on top of scones
- 1 large egg
- 8 small sage leaves
- Cinnamon drizzle, optional
Preparation
Step 1
We've been lucky enough to taste the Scone Lady's goods firsthand (our CTO Alain now makes a point of jogging by her stand at the Pound Ridge Farmers Market on Sundays for scones and her aptly-named Crack Cookies) -- so we knew we had to try making them ourselves. Lo and behold, with mrslarkin's recipe, they come out just as delicious as the real thing -- incredibly moist, perfumed with sage and squash, and as sweet as you want them to be, depending on if you opt for the cinnamon drizzle. If you made these for Thanksgiving breakfast, they wouldn't make it till lunch. - A&M
When Autumn rolls around, it's time to make Pumpkin Scones for the farmers market here in Pound Ridge. I usually use canned pumpkin, but thought I might be able to achieve a similar product using cooked butternut squash. So I tried it. They came out pretty yummy. I am not a big fan of sage, so feel free to increase or decrease the amount. They do look very pretty decorated with the sage leaf on top, so don’t skip that step. You can always pluck it off. Keep in mind you will have to drain the cooked squash, as it contains a lot of liquid. You can do that the day before. This recipe is inspired by my pumpkin scone recipe, which is adapted from the recipe for Starbucks Pumpkin Scones here: http://www.food.com/recipe/Starbucks-Pumpkin-Scones-214051 - mrslarkin
1/2 cup butternut squash puree (see below for directions)
When measuring flour, fluff with a whisk, scoop it up with a spoon, sprinkle it into the measuring cup, and sweep off the top with the flat edge of a knife or spatula. But when I make scones, I always weigh flour, and bypass all that extra work.
FOR THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH: Pierce a medium butternut squash all over with a fork or tip of a knife. Place on microwave-safe dish and cook on high for about ½ hour, turning every ten minutes or so, until soft and mushy. Cut squash down the middle. If it’s still hard in the middle, nuke it a little more. Scoop out seeds and pulp. Scoop out the soft squash, mash it a bit, and place in a mesh strainer over a bowl. Let drain for a couple hours, or overnight. Depending on the size of your butternut, you’ll probably have extra squash, as this recipe only uses ½ cup. Make soup with the rest. Or double the scone recipe. And make a little less soup.
FOR THE CINNAMON DRIZZLE: mix 1 cup confectioner’s sugar with ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Add 2 tablespoons warm water. Stir until smooth. I always do this by sight, so if too loose, add more sugar. If too thick, add more water. If not cinnamon-y enough, add more cinnamon. It should be thick like corn syrup. Set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, place the dry ingredients and the chopped sage, and pulse to combine.
Add the butter, and pulse about 10 or so times. You want to retain some small pieces of butter. Don’t blitz the heck out of it. Transfer the flour mixture to a large mixing bowl. If you've got some really large butter lumps, just squish them with the back of a fork.
In a large measuring cup, place the squash, egg and heavy cream. Mix well. Pour into flour mixture. With a dinner fork, fold the wet into the dry as you gradually turn the bowl. It’s a folding motion you’re shooting for, not a stirring motion. When dough begins to gather, use a plastic bowl scraper to gently knead the dough into a ball shape.
OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED: Place the scones on a wax paper-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once they are frozen, you can store them in a plastic freezer bag for several weeks.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place frozen scones on a parchment-lined sheet pan, about 1 inch apart. Brush with cream. Take the whole sage leaves, brush front and back with cream and place on tops of scones. Sprinkle tops of scones with sugar.
Slather with clotted cream and fig jam, if you feel like gilding the lily. But if not, these are pretty darn good with just plain ol’ butter, too. These are great the next day, warmed in the microwave for 15 - 20 seconds. They freeze really well, too, and can be reheated in a 350 degree F oven until warm. Enjoy!
Add yours
Mrs L, do you make your pumpkin scones with the same ratio of ingredients and method, minus the sage leaves? I'd love to make pumpkin scones when my son is home later this week! Thank you so much. ;o)
Hi AJ, yes, same ratio. I've found that pumpkin puree is less sweet than butternut squash, so I usually add an extra tablespoon of sugar when making pumpkin scones. P.S. The sage is very subtle and works well (and tastes great) with the pumpkin scones, too. Have a wonderful holiday!!
So thankful for your kindness, everyone!!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, fellow food52ers. Let me know how these turn out for you, if you make them.
Yummmmmmmm!!! As a serious scone addict, I cannot wait to try these!!!!
oh and BTW Sarah Shatz, that curl on the parchment paper, front and back, makes these beautiful scones, amazingly beautiful scones.
add me to the list -- making these tonight. congrats!
Yay Mrs L.! These sound absolutely fantastic and I have everything in the house to make them...yay!
Hooray! Congratulations! I can't wait until nannydeb makes me some! :-)
I am afraid that if I make these I will eat too many of them!!!! Very creative manipulation of your forte', sconelady!! I wish you were at the St Helena Farmers' Market.
Beautiful, mrslarkin! Was reading about sugared or candied sage leaves, they would be wonderful placed on top of these too!
Thanks so much, ChezSuzanne! The freezing trick is amazing. I think it makes a big difference.
Thanks! And, yes, just pop 'em frozen on the baking sheet. I read somewhere on the King Arthur site that baking them off frozen produces a higher rise due to the butter creating pockets of air, yadda yadda.
I bet these are tasty! How do you make the cinnamon drizzle?