Pumpkin and Ginger Scones - New York Times Recipes for Health

Pumpkin and Ginger Scones

New York Times Recipes for Health

Howdy! It's definitely pumpkin season. And what goes best with pumpkin? Of course, my favorite flavor: Ginger!

This is an easy recipe from the New York Times. And get this - it's a RECIPES FOR HEALTH! Whoo hoo. Using whole-wheat flour, buttermilk and only a 1/2 stick of butter (I've made scones with a stick of butter and a cup of cream), these are lower in fat. The pumpkin puree is great for adding flavor with no fat. Each scone is only 143 calories & 4 grams of fat.

You can make them in a food processor or by hand. I made them before work one day - they baked while I took a quick shower.

The recipe calls for candied ginger. Sometimes, that is a term used interchangeably with crystallized ginger, so I'm not sure if this is what the author wanted. I've seen candied ginger that was poached in syrup and not as dry as the crystallized ginger with a coarse sugar. Anyway, I used crystallized ginger and it was great.

The recipe yields 12 scones. I made two small rounds and cut each into 6 scones. Um, there are 11 on this tray because I had to eat one for quality control purposes. :)

My friend Agnes made a cute Halloween pillowcase...perfect to bring along trick or treating! Thanks Agnes! What are you going to be for Halloween?

Healthier whole wheat pumpkin scones. Go for it!

Recipe: Pumpkin & Ginger Scones
Recipe adapted from New York Times Pumpkin and Ginger Scone by Martha Rose Shulman, Nov 22, 2010

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (I used Trader Joe's)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped candied ginger (I used Trader Joe's Crystallized Ginger)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Whisk together the flours, salt, ginger, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.
3. I made my scones by hand and used my fingers to cut the butter into the flour - until it resembled very coarse cornmeal. You can also pulse the butter and flour mixture in a food processor several times until it's the consistency of coarse cornmeal
4. Beat together the pumpkin purée, buttermilk and maple syrup in a small bowl. If making these by hand, add liquid mixture and crystallized ginger to the flour & butter mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or fork until it barely comes together - don't overmix. If making these in a food processor, add liquid & crystallized ginger to the bowl and pulse just until the dough comes together.
5. Scrape dough and all the little flour bits onto a lightly floured surface, and gently shape into a rectangle or round about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes. I made two equal rounds and cut into 6 pieces each. Place on the baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned bottom and top. Cool on a rack. Enjoy!