Today is my birthday! We started celebrating early this weekend. I opened one of my presents early because Dave thought it would be good for me to have for the weekend instead of on a weekday… because it was a pressure canner!!!! I’m so excited. I’ve already turned 6 lbs. of our home grown tomatoes into spicy arrabiata sauce (which contained 3 heaping teaspoons of red pepper flakes – not for the faint of heart!). We spread some on our pizza last night and it was perfect.

I thought I would celebrate by posting a recipe with one of my very favorite ingredients: pumpkin. That’s right – I am one of those people who can eat pumpkin for every meal and not get tired of it (sorry, pumpkin-haters! ). And even better, this recipe a tribute to one of everyone’s favorite parts of fall, the pumpkin spice latte. Now, most of the time I drink black coffee, maybe with cream, always either pressed or poured-over. Occasionally I’ll get a soy latte. But every fall, once or twice, I will indulge in the season’s most awaited (but also most controversial) beverages. I couldn’t handle one every day or even every week, but really savoring one every once in a while is the best way to enjoy them, I think. And then in the meantime, I just incorporate the flavors into desserts.

I’m so happy with how these turned out. The coffee glaze is the best part. And did I mention that they are part whole wheat?

Here’s what you need:

1 3/4 cups AP flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
Heavy pinch salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
2-4 Tbsp. cream

For the glaze:
1 cup brewed coffee
1-2 cups powdered sugar (depending on your glaze)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a large bowl, sift the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Add in the cold butter cubes and cut in using a pastry cutter or a fork, until the mixture is mealy.

Stir in the pumpkin, eggs and 2 Tbsp. cream until the dough comes together. Depending on the climate you live in, this might be enough to pull the dough together. If not, add more cream 1 Tbsp. at a time as you stir with your hands. The dough should not be sticky, but it also should not be dry.

Form the dough into two equal discs and cut each disc pizza-style into six pieces, then place on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 for about 7-8 minutes, then drop the heat to 425 degrees for another 15 minutes.

Allow scones to cool completely before adding the glaze. While they are cooling, add the brewed coffee to a saucepan and reduce on medium-high heat until the volume is just 1/4 cup. Create a glaze by stirring in the powdered sugar with a fork. Start with 1 cup, then add more by 1/4 cup increments until the glaze reaches your desired consistency.

When the glaze is ready and the scones are cool, dip the scones in the glaze and allow the glaze to set up. The glaze will drip off of the edges, so make sure you put the scones on a surface you don’t mind cleaning of sticky drippings, such as parchment paper or a silpat sheet.