Pumpkin Scones (Video)

Moist and delicious spiced pumpkin scones!

I’m back with another pumpkin recipe! I am also super excited because I have a video of this recipe to share with you as well! These scones are quick and easy to make. Just make sure you use cold butter to get that perfect flaky texture!

I have a thing for scones and these just might be my favourite flavour yet! They have just the right amount of spice and are perfectly moist. These pumpkin scones have the perfect texture. They have that slightly crisp top with a softer flaky centre. Enjoy your pumpkin scones with a big mug of coffee or tea (or as we discovered on girls night… a glass of red wine! Something about the pumpkin and spices paired really well with the red wine).

Pumpkin Scones

Makes: 8 Large Scones

Ingredients:

½ c pumpkin puree

1 egg

¼ c heavy cream

2 c flour

½ c sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ c butter, cold & cut in cubes

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together pumpkin puree, egg, and heavy cream, set aside. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture, until mixture resembles wet sand. Mix wet ingredients into dry until combined. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and kneed dough into a ball. Flatten dough into a large round disk and cut into 8 even wedges.

Evenly place scones onto prepared baking sheet and brush with heavy cream. Bake scones for 14 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow scones to cool completely on a wire rack.

Ginger Pumpkin Tart

A fun twist on an autumn classic! This ginger pumpkin tart is incredibly flavourful with just the right amount of spice! The tart has a deliciously smooth pumpkin filling and a chewy ginger cookie crust. Perfect for any fall gathering!

It is finally starting to look and feel like fall here! The leaves are changing colours and there a definite crisp chill to the air. I am loving every minute of it! Fall is my favourite season. I love the colours, the cozy knits and the delicious flavours. One of the best things about fall? All things pumpkin of course!

I didn’t want to make your traditional pumpkin pie this year. I wanted to do something a little bit different. I recently purchase a couple of tart pans and I couldn’t wait to use them! I decided step outside the traditionally round pumpkin pie and make a pumpkin tart instead. Since I was already going with a non-traditional shape I figured I may as well change up the crust too. This ginger cookie crust is delicious! Its slightly more chewy and less flaky in texture than your typical pie crust. It is also incredibly flavourful! The ginger flavour pairs exceptionally well with the pumpkin filling. The filling itself is pretty typical of a pumpkin pie filling. Its full of delicious warming spices and is silky smooth!

Ginger Pumpkin Tart

Yield: One 14 by 4.5 inch tart
Time: The pumpkin filing and ginger cookie crust need to chill for 4+ hours

Ingredients

Pumpkin Filling

1 c pumpkin puree

¾ c brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp corn starch

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

½ c heavy cream

Pie Crust

1 c flour

½ c brown sugar

1 ½ tsp ginger

½ c butter, cold and grated

2 tbsp molasses

1 egg, beaten

Directions

For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and eggs until combined. Whisk in corn starch, salt, pepper, pumpkin pie spice. Finally, whisk in heavy cream until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

For the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and ginger. Cut in grated butter until mixture resembles wet sand. Stir in molasses and egg, mixing until dough is formed. Pour dough onto lightly floured plastic wrap and form into a disk. Place wrapped dough in the fridge for a minimum of four hour or overnight.

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Remove dough from plastic wrap and using a rolling pin, roll dough out into long rectangle until dough is about 1/8 inch thick. Lay dough across tart pan. Press dough lightly into bottom and sides of tart pan. Cover pan with a piece of plastic wrap and place in freezer for 30 minutes. Using a fork gently prick sides and bottom of dough with a fork. Par-bake dough for 10 minutes.

Drop oven down to 375F. Pour pumpkin filling into par-baked crust. Bake until the centre is almost set, about 25-30 minutes. Allow tart to cool completely before serving.

Brown Butter Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These banana cupcakes are incredibly moist and full of flavour. The hint of cinnamon combined with the tartness of the cream cheese frosting and the sweet crunch of the candied walnuts - delicious!  

It's starting to feel like fall around here! I can't believe that it is already September! Where did the summer go? There is always something special about back to school season. Now that I am a student again, I am loving browsing all of the adorable back to school supplies and stocking up on post-it notes and highlighters. Is there anything more quintessentially back to school than banana bread? I knew I wanted to make a cupcake so I decided to celebrate the back to school season with these Brown Butter Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Everything is better with cream cheese frosting! And lately I have been obsessed with brown butter, if you couldn't tell! 

The brown butter adds a lovely depth of flavour to these banana cupcakes and nicely complements the candied walnuts. I kept the cream cheese frosting on the tangy side to account for the sweetness of the candied walnuts. The tanginess pairs nicely with the sweetness of the bananas as well. I love the added crunch that the walnuts add to the cupcakes - its a wonderful added texture - but feel free to omit them or switch out the walnuts for a different nut, pecans would also work well! 

Brown Butter Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Walnuts

Makes: 18 cupcakes

Ingredients: 

For the cupcakes:
1 ¾ c cake flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½  tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
½  c butter, browned
1 c sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
8oz cream cheese, at room temp
½ c butter, at room temp
2 to 4 c icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)

For the Candied Walnuts:
½ c walnut pieces
¼ c sugar

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake tray with liners, set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over medium to high heat, melt butter. Once melted allow the butter to brown and caramelize in colour (3-4 minutes). Caramelized bits should start to form at the bottom of the pan. Take care not to let the butter burn. Transfer browned butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, be sure to scrape all the browned bits from the pan (they are full of flavour!). Mix on low-medium speed for about 5 minutes to allow butter to cool slightly.

While the butter is cooling, in a medium sized bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. 

In the stand mixer, add sugar to the butter. Beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Beat in eggs on at at time, scraping down the side of the bowl after each addition. Beat in ripened bananas until just combined. On low speed, slowly mix in the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3s of the way full. Bake on centre rack for 15-18 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. 

For the frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Reduce speed to low and add in icing sugar one cup at a time. If you are using the candied walnuts - I would recommend using 2 cups of sugar, for a less sweet more tart frosting. Mix until combined. Add in vanilla. Whip frosting on medium - high speed until light, fluffy and pale in colour. If you would prefer a thinner frosting, add in heavy cream until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes as desired.

For the Candied Walnuts: In a small pan, over medium to high heat, add walnut pieces and sugar. Stir occasionally, to prevent mixture from burning. When the sugar starts to melt, mix frequently to coat the walnuts. Immediately transfer candied walnuts to parchment paper. If necessary, once cooled, roughly chop candied walnuts into small pieces.