Happy Halloween everyone! It feels like a great fall morning here. Love it!
I woke up in a great mood and excited about the day ahead. That hasn't happened in a while. OK, so I didn't literally wake up in a great mood - the baby is teething or something so was up till about 3 screaming and uncomfortable and the oldest boy felt the need to wake up before dawn and turn his light on. Then come let me know the baby was awake. Well Ya, you left the light on!
Gosh, it's interesting to actually watch how fast and easily moods can change!
Eventually, I was excited for the day and felt like doing some baking. I started off by throwing together Baked Oatmeal in the crockpot. I've made this recipe dozens of time. It's really really yummy. We call it Breakfast bars around here. No reason. We just do. To this wonderful base recipe I add about 1/2 cup of peanut butter baking chips and for the dried fruit, today I used dried cranberries. I made it in the massive crockpot so it will probably be done in just a few hours.
Then I had a hankering for pumpkin scones. I bought a few cans of pumpkin filling and have been looking forward to trying something with it. Last year I did the ol' fresh pumpkin thing and then made muffins with it. That was a crazy amount of work to get a few puny muffins that didn't taste more amazing because of the fresh pumpkin. Ya, I'm over it. Canned pumpkin it is!
So I searched for a recipe and found this one for pumpkin scones. It looked awfully trustworthy. Here's the little details of what I did differently. First, I doubled the recipe. I knew from experience that a recipe for scones using only two cups of flour was not going to yield that many. Second, I knew that I could split the scone dough in half and set up another pan, wrap it and put it in the fridge for tomorrow morning.
Did you know uncooked scones can sit happily wrapped up in your fridge for up to five days? Really! Just think, fresh scones any day of the week!
Next, the recipe calls for only 1/2 cup of pumpkin filling and I was not interested in opening a can of pumpkin filling and only removing 1/2 cup. What would I do with the rest? Sheesh. This way I used almost the entire can. Almost.
I did not have buttermilk on hand, as usual. No problem! I pour almost a cup full of milk then add two tablespoons vinegar and let it sit for several minutes.
Confession: I normally tell people that with baking you really have to follow the rules of the recipe as it is written. One rule I always break is when the recipe calls for milk, I always use whipping cream instead. The difference all the fat makes in the moisture is unbelievable. So when I made my "buttermilk" it was actually whipping cream and was very thick. I am absolved.
A few weeks ago I found the niftiest set of measuring spoons at the thrift store. It not only had the 1/8 teaspoon measurement, it even has a 1/2 tablespoon measurement! Isn't that awesome?! Oh, the little things that make novice bakers happy.
So today the recipe called for 1/4 tsp baking soda and I mistakenly used the 1/2 tablespoon. It was too late and I just thought, well, let's see what happens.
I also added one cup of chocolate chips. Duh. Woops, just realized I forgot to do an eggwash before I sprinkled raw sugar on the tops. Oh well. I love raw sugar for just these purposes. It gives your finished product a nice little crunch, looks great, and who couldn't use more sugar?
Oh ya, the dough was wet. Wayyyyyyyyy too wet. Scone dough shouldn't actually stick to your hands when you are mixing it (your hands are your best tools. Did you know that? Plus, I don't have a food processor.)So I had to ask my husband to come rescue me by adding more flour. I would say I had to add at least another 1/2 cup of flour. Don't be afraid to figure out how to get the consistency just right. Yes, baking is a science, but that doesn't mean you can't experiment. Add a little at a time and then see where you are.
I split the dough in two and put on two separate pans lined with parchment paper. Forming a sorta ball, I then press down the dough until it's about 1 1/2 inches thick. Here is where I sprinkle the raw sugar on top. Then using a large knife I cut like a pizza into 8 pieces. Gently pulling each piece away into its own separate area. Scones can be a little snotty sometimes; they like their own space.
I baked them at 375 instead of 400. Our elevation is around 5300 feet. So we're kind of in a weird in between state: not exactly "high elevation", but certainly not normal. You can always adjust the time you cook them for, but if they bake too hot, then they can get too crisp and dark on the outside without the inside being done.
They baked for probably 20 minutes. I always set the timer for when I think they will be just almost done. Then you can check and add two more minutes if needed. They could probably have stayed in another two or three minutes but I don't like mine too brown or overdone. I don't like scones that are dry. Some people do. I don't. (They are weird.)
The tops were cracked just a little and when I pressed on them slightly there was little to no give. If they are not done yet and the insides are still too gooey, they will give a lot more when you press on them.
They are really really delicious. Like crazy good! I'm really happy with how they turned out and even more happy to know I have a pan already to bake tomorrow morning (or this afternoon, depending on sleep deprivation treats me today.)
Sorry no pictures. My camera died and I'm too embarrassed to use a camera phone picture.
Plus I am just not a great food photographer. Weddings and people, yes. Food... well, it can be snotty sometimes.
Have a great day!
