pumpkin chocolate scones with espresso cream cheese glaze.

because we need one more pumpkin scone recipe for the internets!

we all just can’t stop with the pumpkin things around this time of year - but for a durn good reason. it’s all delightful. and cozy.

i do secretly like the pumpkin scone at starbucks (warmed UP!), even though it’s generally dry as a bone. i wanted to make a solid go-to homemade p-scone recipe. not bone dry. soft. but sconey on the outside. add chocolate & oats for texture. add a tasty glaze.

and here we be:

halfway through making this recipe i realized all the flavors were strikingly similar to the ones in this pumpkin espresso pie from a couple years ago…..but whatya gunna do? i like what i like.

that pie was mayjah delicious, too.

it seems kind of hard to get people to eat a scone.

want a scone?

…not really.

most scones are cardboardy dry bricks that you cough & choke on. not theeeese, though. these are super moist, dense & almost bready on the inside, but still firm and scone-y on the outside, thanks to the layer of cream brushed on before baking.

i got some hot pumpkin tips from sally’s baking blog - so helpful! blotting the pumpkin purée = genius. i thought it’d be a mess, but not at all! it really just slides off the paper towel somehow. and look at this cookie recipe of hers. i must have it.

i have a fond memory of a chocolate hazelnut scone from a coffee stand growing up. i recreated that recipe right here!

those scones don’t need a glaze. however, i’d say these pumpkin ones definitely DO. people were quite enjoying these scones when i made them, but the glaze was pretty much the star of the show.

it is sweet cream cheesy smooth glaze with a nice hit of coffee flavor. MMM! whomever decided that pumpkin & coffee could go together is both kooky & kooL, i suppose.

^ you can just tell the innards of the scones are moist from the pumpkin - and that heavy creeeeam. luxury.

here’s the glaze. there will be a little bit left over…i’m not sure what to do with it. maybe smear onto a graham cracker! it’s very tasty.

and chocolate wafers instead of chips because i wanted POOLS of chocolate in there, mmk.

…want a scone?

we’ll end this with a live text update & scone review from a friend:

“I’m not even kidding tho that scone was the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. Nuked it for 30 seconds and god damn so thank YOU!” — kind scone critic

Pumpkin Chocolate Scones with Espresso Cream Cheese Glaze

Makes 8 Large Scones

Total Time: 40 minutes

{Techniques adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction}

Ingredients:

Scones:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed, or grated

• 1/3 cup heavy cream + 2 TB

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée - blot off the excess moisture with paper towel

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate wafers, roughly chopped. Or chocolate chips.

• 1/2 cup oats

• raw sugar, for sprinkling

Glaze:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature

• 2 TB. unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

• 3 TB. strong coffee or espresso, cooled

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

• 1/2 tsp. espresso powder

Instructions-

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients except the brown sugar and oats. Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture and combine with your hands until it is shaggy with pea-sized butter bits.

In a medium bowl, mix the 1/3 cup heavy cream, blotted pumpkin, egg, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Drizzle the wet ingredients into the butter & flour mixture. Mix with a spoon until just combined.

Lastly, add the oats and roughly chopped chocolate wafers. Gently mix until ingredients are incorporated and a ball of dough is formed. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a round, flat disk about 8 inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, slice the round into 8 even triangles. Use a spatula to place the scones a couple inches apart on the prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Chill in the fridge for about 5 minutes before baking.

Before baking, brush the remaining 2 TB of heavy cream over the tops and sides of the scones. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown, checking at 18 minutes for doneness.

While the scones are baking, prepare the glaze. Make a shot of espresso or a very strong, small cup of coffee. I use the AeroPress to make strong coffee like this.

In a small bowl, whisk together the room temperature cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the espresso and vanilla and whisk again. Add the powdered sugar and whisk well until very smooth. Stir in the fine sea salt and extra espresso powder to taste.

Cool the scones slightly on a cooling rack after baking. Use a spoon to spread the glaze over the tops and sides of the warm scones. Top with extra espresso powder if desired.

Serve immediately! Enjoy within 2 days. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

qp

whipped coconut milk chocolate chip muffins.

this is me pondering what the actual difference is between a muffin and a cupcake….

these look like a cupcake…they smell like a cupcake…they are made similarly to a cupcake….yet they are a muffin….

i think muffins are just more dense than cupcakes. cake should be light and airy.

and when you call something a “muffin,” it becomes an acceptable breakfast food. 😈 although this batch was more of an afternoon snack for pete & me when they were still with us.

not sure why i took 8 zillion photos of the same thing, but muffins are just cute, ya know!?

so i whip whip whipped up that thiccc part of (cold) canned coconut milk and made a thiccc muffin batter. that yielded a super moist and dense, yet fluffy, muffy. yum!

i used a wee bit of almond flour in addition to the all-purpose just for some varying textures and really enjoyed that. the other tweak worth mentioning is that i used 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp almond extract. i personally love almond extract in things like sugar cookies, but it is very overpowering. you could probably just use a tiny drop of almond extract in this recipe and still taste it. just beware of that, or use all vanilla if you prefer.

this is one of those times when i am so sad these muffins are long gone. i want one baddddlyyyy.

and they were so good kept in the fridge! i normally leave all baked goods at room temperature, but these were like cool little coconutty, chocolatey treats. and stayed super m o i s t. 😬

when pete tried one of these muffins, he said, “these are the best thing you’ve ever made.”

…i’m not sure about all thaaaat, but they were quite delicious. last night i made steak & potato burritos, and he said, “i’d buy this for $100.” yes he exaggerates, but he does not lie regarding food criticism, no no. he will be the first to tell me something’s too salty or weird. so i will take both of those compliments, thankyou.

make these muffins for a breakfast/snack/dessert and live it up.

i’ll have to try fresh blueberries in this whipped coconut milk version sometime when i’m in the blueb mood. that sounds gooooood, too.

Whipped Coconut Milk Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 12 Muffins

Bake Time: 23 minutes // Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup almond flour *

• 1/3 cup white sugar

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 3/4 tsp fine sea salt

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted & cooled

• 1 large egg

• 1 cup of cold canned coconut milk (full-fat preferred - the thickened part), whipped with a hand mixer

• 1/3 cup of the coconut milk liquid from the can

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, or 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract + 1/4 tsp. almond extract

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions-

Chill the canned coconut milk in the fridge for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin tin with paper liners and spray with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, scoop 1 cup of the cold, thickened coconut milk from the can with 1/3 cup of the coconut milk liquid. Whip it up with a hand mixer until fluffy and smooth.

Add the melted coconut oil, egg, and flavor extracts to the whipped coconut milk bowl, stirring between additions.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. The mixture will be quite thick.

Scoop the muffin batter into the prepared liners, about 2/3 full. Place the muffin tin on top of a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving.

These muffins stayed very moist and delicious at room temperature, but were also good kept cold in the fridge.

*You can omit the almond flour and use 2 cups of all-purpose flour if you prefer.

Enjoy!

qp