Pumpkin Caramel Walnut Scones with Salted Caramel Glaze

 

 

It’s all about the pumpkin right now, isn’t it?  Pumpkins on the porch in every shape, size and hue.  Pumpkin patches to be toured.  Pumpkins to be decorated, carved, painted and lit.  They’re in gigantic bins in all the grocery stores I frequent.  They’re piled up by the hundreds along roadsides at local farms just waiting for the choosing.

 

They grace the covers of the most popular food or housekeeping magazines and fill the pages of them with pumpkin preparations of all kinds.  Pies, cakes, muffins, biscuits, bars, cookies, pancakes, pickles ---  I want to make them all and I may end up as round as a pumpkin myself after the sampling.

 

You would think that I would have run out of pumpkin recipes at some point along the way after all of these years.  Not so.  For every one I have tried, there are literally hundreds I will never make.  But I will tempted to make these scones many more times.  I’m a huge fan!

 

Pumpkin, caramel and walnuts are perfectly paired and just scream “autumn” to me.  Hearty enough for a filling breakfast, these are also delicious as a dessert or coffee or tea-time treat.  They freeze well and reheat easily in the microwave making them a make-ahead favorite.

 

 

Pumpkin Caramel Walnut Scones with Salted Caramel Glaze

 

Makes 10-12 scones

 

2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter, roughly chopped
1 cup caramel bits
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon caramel extract
2 large eggs
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
sparkling sugar for topping

 

Glaze:
1 cup caramel bits
1/2-3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup heavy cream

 

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

 

Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.  Cut in the chopped butter until the dough is crumbly and there are no obvious chunks of butter.  Stir in the  caramel bits and walnuts; set aside.

 

Cream together the pumpkin, caramel extract, eggs and heavy cream.  Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the dough forms a ball.  Divide the dough in half.

 

Pat each half of the dough out on a lightly floured board (I use Wondra.) forming a round disk that is approximately 3/4 to 1-inch thick.  Place each disk on the baking sheet and cut into wedges of desired size.  (Mine usually makes 10).  Separate the wedges leaving approximately 1/2-inch between each piece.  Brush each wedge with water and sprinkle with the sparkling sugar.

 

For highest rise and best texture, put the scones in the freezer for 30 minutes prior to baking.

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Bake the scones for 15 – 25 minutes (depends on the size of your scones).  They should be golden brown, but should remain springy to the touch.  When you pull the wedges away from one another, the edges should look baked through.  Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes then move the scones to a wire rack to glaze.  Serve warm or cool completely after glazing and freeze.

 

Glaze:  This is my easy version of a salted caramel glaze.  If you prefer to make it from scratch, try this version.

 

Over medium-low heat, melt the caramel bits with the cream and sea salt, stirring frequently until thickened.  Allow to cool briefly before drizzling on the scones.  Store any remaining glaze in the refrigerator.  I use it in coffee or hot cocoa or as a topping for ice cream.

 

To reheat after freezing:  I reheat these straight from the freezer by placing them in the microwave for 1 minute at 70% power.  That's perfect for my microwave.

 

Adapted from King Arthur Flour and Epicurious