Pumpkin Scones

I looked out the window this morning and realized that most of the leaves have fallen.  I'm still in denial that summer is over, in spite of the reminders of brisk air and Pumpkin Spice Latte's.

My first year in Wheaton I was SO excited when the Pumpkin Scones and Latte's arrived at Starbucks.  I got up early the first morning with my friend Melissa only to discover that they had run out of scones already.  Determined not to be defeated I decided to try making them myself and 6 years later these are still a fall favourite (and I must say I like them better homemade).

Ingredients:
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 ginger
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (homemade or canned)
3 tablespoons half and half
1 large egg
6 tablespoons cold butter

Plain Icing:
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk or half and half

Spiced Icing:
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk or half and half
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in a large bowl.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and eggs.
4. Cut butter into cubes and add it to the dry ingredients.  Use a pastry knife or fork to combine butter with dry ingredients.  You want it to look like sand without any large chunks of butter visible.  You can also use a food processor (which I did) to combine the dry ingredients and butter because it is so quick.
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then form the dough into a ball.  Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a 1-inch thick rectangle that is about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide.  Use a large knife or pizza cutter to slice the dough.  I like to make them much smaller than Starbucks (so you can have two).
6. Bake 14-16 minutes on a baking sheet.  You can oil it, line it with parchment paper OR if you have non-stick cookie sheets like these (which are worth every penny if you like to bake) you don't need to line or grease the pan.
7. While scones cool, mix the plain icing in a bowl.  A whisk or spoon works just fine.  When the scones are cool, drizzle a coating of glaze over the top of each scone.  I put the scones on a cooling rack on top of wax paper or aluminum foil to let the excess run over.  (See photo) And there will be excess! 
8. As the icing firms up, prepare the spiced icing in the same manner as the plain icing.  Drizzle on top.  I like to do it just like Starbucks does in a criss cross pattern.  I just use a spoon and hold it above the scones as the icing drizzles over, but you can use a squeeze bottle or something else too.

Makes 6 Starbucks-size scones or 12 regular-size scones.

Enjoy!