Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones

I am always looking for new pumpkin recipes because it's a favorite in my household. Here is a recipe I came across, from King Arthur's Flour, for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones. I hope you enjoy these just as much as my husband will this week for breakfast.

You can store leftover pumpkin puree in the freezer and use it for the next batch anytime. I like to wrap the pumpkin in plastic wrap and place it in ziplock bag, labeled pumpkin puree and the amount.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones 
Makes 8 large scones or 12 regular size scones

Ingredients: 
2 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup cold butter
1 cup to 2 cups chocolate chips, minced crystallized ginger, or cinnamon chips
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping


1) In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice.

2) Cut the butter into 1/2" pieces and work in to flour mixture just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated. (You can use a pastry blender for this step or your hands)

3) Stir in the chocolate chips and/or crystallized ginger, if you're using them.

4) In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs till smooth.

5) Add the pumpkin/egg to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

6) Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don't have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan.

7) Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5" circle (if you haven't incorporated any add-ins); or a 6" circle (if you've added 2 cups of fruit, nuts, etc.). The circles should be about 3/4" thick.

8) Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired.

9) Using a knife or bench knife that you've run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges.

10) Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2" space between them, at their outer edges.

11) For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.

12) Bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, with no wet crumbs. If you pull one of the scones away from the others, the edges should look baked through, not wet or doughy.

13) Remove the scones from the oven, and serve warm. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature. Reheat very briefly in the microwave, if desired.

Potato Basil Puree

This is a great recipe to use up the last of the basil in the garden. What I enjoyed most about this recipe was how the basil gave the potatoes a freshness that you usually don't get with regular mashed potatoes. This recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook How Easy Is That?. I am posting the original recipe below, but I decided to lighten it up using a mix of whole milk and skim milk instead of half and half. If I were making this for a crowd of people or a holiday I would definitely follow the recipe how it was intended.

Potato Basil Puree
4-5 servings

Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
2 pounds large Yukon Gold, red or white boiling potatoes
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill another bowl with ice water. Add the basil leaves to the boiling water and cook for exactly 15 seconds. Remove the basil with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge the leaves into the ice water to set the bright green color. Drain and set aside.

2. Peel the potatoes and cut them in pieces. Add the potatoes to the same pot of boiling water and return to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until very tender. Drain and return to the saucepan, and steam over low heat until any remaining water evaporates.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the half-and-half and Parmesan cheese until the cream simmers. Place the basil in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree. Add the hot cream mixture and process until smooth.

4. With a handheld mixer with the beater attachment or in stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the hot potatoes until they are broken up. Slowly add the hot basil cream, the salt, and pepper and beat until smooth. If the potatoes need to be reheated, cover and cook gently over low heat for a few minutes. Pour into a serving bowl, sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese, season to taste, and serve hot.

Spicy Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup

I love this soup. I make a big batch for dinner and eat the rest for lunch the next few days. This soup is very healthy and filling at only had 156 calories per serving. You can adjust the amount of spice according to your taste. I used 1/2 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and it comes out pretty spicy. If you do not like spicy food, I would suggest only adding 1/2 to 1 of the chipotle peppers, you can always add more later on.

The original recipe calls for 7 cups of store bought chicken or vegetable broth. I sometimes find it easier and cheaper to make the stock myself, especially if you have some vegetables you need to use up in the refrigerator. See a recipe for vegetable stock below.

I made this soup kid friendly by adding the spice later on. In step 2, I left out the chipotle peppers and continued to boil the potatoes until tender. I scooped out a serving for Layla and pureed it in the food processor and set it aside. I then added in the peppers and continued with the recipe. To make it even easier you can find cans of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce already pureed.

Spicy Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup
Makes 8 servings (adapted from Martha Stewart: Everyday Food Light)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion-chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
4 medium sweet potatoes (2 pounds) peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1/2-1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce- chopped (add more or less to taste)
7 cups of vegetable or chicken broth (low-sodium)
Sour cream, scallions or chives for garnish (optional)

1. In a large dutch oven or other large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and season with salt and pepper; cook until soft about 7-8 minutes.

2. Add in cumin and stir. Add in sweet potatoes, chipotle pepper, and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 20-25 minutes; until the potatoes are very tender.

3. Let the soup cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Do not fill blender more than 1/2 way each batch. Return the pureed soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream, scallions or chives.


Homemade Vegetable Stock
Makes 8 cups





















Fill a large pot with 8-10 cups of water. Add in chopped vegetables (onion, carrots, celery, fennel, herbs) You can you any combination of vegetables you have on hand. The most important ones are carrot, onion, celery. Add in salt and pepper. You can also add in 2-3 bouillon cubes to flavor the stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer; cook partially covered; about 30-40 minutes. Strain stock into a large bowl and discard vegetables.

Sweet and Spicy Mixed Nuts

These nuts are so addictive I never wait for them to cool off before I get my fix, resulting in a burnt tongue. They are sweet from the sugar and spicy from the cayenne pepper. I usually use these nuts in salads but they are great on their own, or even on an ice cream sundae ..yum. They also make great gifts.

This recipe makes a large batch but you can easily cut it in half. Sometimes I like to replace the white sugar with maple syrup. You can experiment with whatever combination you like, the measurements do not have to be exact.


Sweet and Spice Nuts: Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen 

Ingredients:
1/3 cup dark-brown sugar
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp pinch of cayenne pepper (depending on much heat you prefer)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound walnut, pecan halves, or almonds (or combination)
1 egg white, room temperature
1 tablespoon water

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix brown sugar and granulated sugar, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps and set aside.

3. Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add nuts, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated.

4. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.

5.Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.

My Cookie Recipe made Gluten Free

There are certain baking recipes that are easily transferred to a gluten free version. I find that cookies work really well with a gluten free all purpose flour substitution. Here are a few recipes I have posted previously that work well with GF all purpose flour.

I am not yet an expert on all the different gluten free flours available but I would to share one thing I have discovered recently. I purchased the Maple Grove Farms Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix and my results have been very salty. I looked at the nutrition fact and realized that the sodium content is 650mg in 1/4 cup serving!!!! That is a ton of sodium compared to most brands of 40mg to 60mg per serving. I will definitely not be buying this flour in the future.



Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies: Replace 1/2 cups of flour with GF all purpose flour and 3 cups of Oats with GF oats

Mexican Chocolate Cookies: Replace 3/4 cup flour with GF all purpose flour

Coconut Macaroons: Replace 2 tbsp cake flour with 2 tbsp GF all purpose flour

Coconut Squares Use 1 box of GF white or yellow cake mix