Pumpkin Scones stolen from Starbucks

Despite the doom and gloom that may be around the corner as we move into fall and prepare for another frigid winter in Chicago, fall may be one of the top four seasons in my book (see what I did there...? Ha!). From cozy fleeces to crunchy leaves, vibrant trees and pumpkin pie spices, autumn is like a warm blanket that I just want to lounge around in for a while.

Among the many joys of this time of year, Starbucks caters to our love for pumpkin with its lattes and scones. Though I am averse to the lattes (I know, I was suprised as well), the scones... well, I just can't get enough! Luckily, I am not alone in my love for these semi-sweet, perfectly spiced treats. A quick Google search provided me with the following recipe. I followed it (mostly) and wowee! These are moist and DELICIOUS. You'll see that I didn't glaze them (my cupboards failed to magically produce powdered sugar), but I think these scones hold their own without any added glaze!

I'll admit that I didn't measure the amount of pumpkin I added, and I think I may have added too much, because my dough was a little thin and not very dough-like. I also used skim milk in lieu of half-and-half (it's all I had), but yes, I did use an ENTIRE stick of butter. I knew that this scone would not be truly my Starbucks clone if I didn't pump it up Paula Deen style!

The recipe says it makes 6 scones. I made 11, half tennis ball-sized scones. They were perfect.

The Scones... The Edibles:

• 2 c. all-purpose flour (I replaced 1/2 c. flour with whole wheat flour)
• 7 T. sugar
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 6 T. cold butter
• 1/2 c. canned pumpkin
• 3 T. half-and-half
• 1 large egg

The Scones... The Making:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
4. Form the dough into a ball.
5. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough.
6. Place on prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake for 14-16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Plain Glaze... The Edibles:

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 T. powdered sugar
• 2 T. whole milk

Spiced Glaze... The Edibles:

• 1 T. powdered sugar
• 2 T.s whole milk
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch ginger
• 1 pinch ground cloves

Plain Glaze... The Making:

1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.
2. When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.
3. As the plain glaze firms up, prepare the Spiced Glaze.

Spiced Glaze... The Making:

1. Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

Jealous?

Granola Bars Two Ways: Chewy and Crunchy

I woke up today and decided I would make granola bars. Had I ever made them? Nope. Did that stop me? Not at all. I was on a mission to make some wholesome, vitamin-packed bars. Now, I didn't intend to make two batches, but having learned a few things my first go-around (the crunchy), I wanted to see if I could improve my recipe and make a tastier batch. I chose to include both recipes because I think they offer different things. Those who like their bars less sweet would likely prefer the crunchy over the chewy. Those who are averse to crunch would be more apt to select the chewy (makes sense, doesn't it?).

The first batch listed is the one I made second, the chewy. My mix-ins included pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds (coarsely crushed), sunflower seeds, dried apples, and cranberries.

Prior to that batch I made one that was much drier, and consequently crunchier (and aptly named "The Crunchy"). This mix was also slightly less sweet, but the cranberries throughout the mix punctuate each bite with a tart sweetness that makes up for the use of less sweetener. In addition to the cranberries I added a bit of pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds for some healthy fats (and to add to the crunch-factor).

Like most of my recipes, and like most recipes for granola bars, the mix-ins are up to the creator. Whatever nuts or dried fruits you happen to have on hand (and enjoy, of course), would work with the basic mix. Think about the options; walnuts, dates, and coconut, or maybe macadamias, raisins, and apricots... now you know why I had to make two batches.

The Stuff:

• 8" by 8" baking dish (you can use a pan, but my times are based on using a glass baking dish that was too large at 8" by 11"... it's still possible to form the granola into a rectangle that is smaller than the dish size, but I estimate that this recipe would fit perfectly in an 8 by 8 dish or slightly smaller)
• parchment paper
• small saucepan
• medium mixing bowl

The Chewy

The Edibles (for the Chewy):

• 1 T. butter
• 1 & 1/2 T. honey
• 1 T. oil
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 T. milled flax seed, divided
• 4 packets Truvia (the equivalent of 8 T. sugar)
• 1/2 c. oats
• 1/4 c. oat bran
• 2 T. protein powder
• 1 T. wheat germ
• 1/2 c. Kashi Good Friends cereal, coarsely crushed
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 c. sliced almonds
• 1/8 c. pumpkin seeds
• 1/8 c. sunflower seeds
• 1/4 c. dried cranberries
• 1/4 c. dried apple, chopped into sunflower seed sized pieces

The Making:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Place parchment paper into baking dish.
2. Place first 5 ingredients, 1 tablespoon milled flax seed, and 2 packets Truvia in a small saucepan. Set aside.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, including the remaining 1 T. flax seed and 2 packets Truvia. Stir until ingredients are mixed.
4. Heat saucepan over medium low for 2 - 3 minutes, or until it begins to boil. Stir vigorously. Allow the liquid to boil for 1 minute; remove from heat and allow it to cool for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Create a well in the dry ingredients. Carefully pour the liquid mixture into the well and stir with a fork. The mixture will be sticky. Use your fingers to make sure the ingredients are fully combined.
6. Place granola mixture on the prepared pan. Press the mixture down firmly, ensuring that the bars will be equally thick throughout the pan.
7. Cook at 325 for 15 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 300 and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until the bars are slightly browned.
8. Remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes. Cut the rectangle into 8 equally sized bars, but do not remove from the pan. Allow the bars to cool an additional 30 minutes (you've given them some time to rest and really grip together), after which you may enjoy to your heart's content!

The Crunchy

The Edibles (for the Crunchy):

• 12 g. (slightly less than 1 T.) butter
• 1 T. honey
• 1/2 T. oil
• 2 T. Sobe Yumberry Lifewater (or another low-calorie juice like liquid)
• 3 packets Truvia (the equivalent of 6 T. sugar)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 T. water
• 3/4 c. oats
• 1/4 c. oat bran
• 2 T. protein powder
• 1 2/3 T. wheat germ
• 1 & 1/2 T. milled flax seed
• 1/2 c. Kashi Good Friends cereal, coarsely crushed
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 c. sliced almonds
• 1/4 c. pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 c. dried cranberries
• 2 T. low sugar vanilla pudding

The Making:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Place parchment paper into baking dish.
2. Place first 7 ingredients in a small saucepan. Set aside.
3. Combine remaining ingredients up to (not including the pudding) in a medium mixing bowl. Stir until ingredients are mixed.
4. Heat saucepan over medium low for 2 - 3 minutes, or until it begins to boil. Stir vigorously. Allow the liquid to boil for 1 minute; remove from heat and allow it to cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Add pudding at this time and stir well.
5. Create a well in the dry ingredients. Carefully pour the liquid mixture into the well and stir with a fork. The mixture will be sticky. Use your fingers to make sure the ingredients are fully combined.
6. Place granola mixture on the prepared pan. Press the mixture down firmly, ensuring that the bars will be equally thick throughout the pan.
7. Cook at 325 for 15 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 300 and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until the bars are slightly browned.
8. Remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes. Cut the rectangle into 8 equally sized bars, but do not remove from the pan. Allow the bars to cool an additional 30 minutes (you've given them some time to rest and really grip together), after which you may enjoy to your heart's content!

Estimated Nutrition Facts (for the Chewy):

Calories: 150

Fat: 7g

Sodium: 86mg

Fiber: 4g

Carbohydrates: 19g

Protein: 6g

Estimated Nutrition Facts (for the Crunchy):

Calories: 135

Fat: 5g

Sodium: 80mg

Fiber: 3.5g

Carbohydrates: 20g

Protein: 6g

Pumpkin Muffincakes

Guess what! Baking with boxed cake mixes doesn’t have to be boring or unhealthy! Guess some more! Enhancing boxed cake mixes with healthy ingredients doesn’t have to be hard or expensive!

I call these muffincakes because due to the addition of pumpkin, they have a distinctively cupcake-like moistness. Still, upon looking at these baked goods, one automatically assumes, “muffin.” They just have that look, you know?

I really like these little gems, and I can’t think of anyone who has not liked them. Feel free to experiment with other ingredients; the options are endless! From shredded coconut to chopped walnuts, shredded carrot to chopped dates, you can really go to town and not get bored with this basic recipe. You’ll see that the pictures I provided are of a batch that I topped with some sweetened and spiced cream cheese (a mixture of light cream cheese, vanilla yogurt, a drop of vanilla extract, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and something sweet like honey, a touch or sugar, or splenda).

Be careful where you choose to enjoy these, because they may cause excessive groaning.

The Stuff:

• cupcake tin
• large mixing bowl

The Edibles:

• 1 (15 oz. can) PURE pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 2 egg whites
• about 1/4 to 1/2 c. water
• 1 box carrot cake mix

The Making:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix first three ingredients together in the bowl until well blended. Slowly add contents of carrot cake mix. Stir until fully incorporated. There will be lumps; it’s okay.
3. Pour into 12 muffin tins.
4. Bake at for about 20 to 30 minutes, checking after 15 in case your oven cooks faster than mine. You can try to test the muffin doneness with a toothpick, but the pumpkin makes the muffins very moist, so it may appear to be uncooked. I like to press on the top of the muffin, and if it feels hard, and looks a little crackly, it's cooked.

I'm so scientific.

I usually divide the batter so that it makes 15 muffincakes or more. The below estimated stats would be if you also make 15 muffincakes.

Estimated Nutritional Information (per muffincake):

Calories: 155

Fat: 3.5g

Saturated Fat: 0.5g

Protein: 2.5g

Sodium: 200mg

Carbohydrate: 30g

Fiber: 1g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Iron: 6% RDV

Calcium: 7% RDV

Vitamin A: 115% RDV (2267.4mcg Beta Carotene)

Vitamin C: 3% RDV