Pumpkin cranberry scones

In the United States, pumpkins mean autumn, and Halloween, and Thanksgiving. In Australia, we don't really have any of those things (though I did spy a few little skeletons on my street Friday night) but pumpkins, we have aplenty. Of all vegetables, it's the one I most often have in my fridge. I roast it in thin slices with olive oil, salt and pepper and eat it on sandwiches with goat's cheese, I sauté and blend it for soup, toss it in fat chunks into Thai red curries and on Saturday morning, for the first time I tried my hand at something sweet. We don't have canned pumpkin so readily available in Sydney supermarkets but boiling and mashing a little fresh (particularly in so small a quantity) takes no time at all. I swapped half the plain flour for wholemeal as I thought that grainy nuttiness would go nicely - a cosy complement to the warmth of the pumpkin and spices. If you can't make it over to see the pretty trees before they lose their leaves, this is a good consolation - the flavours and fragrance of American Fall in one delicious baked good. 



Pumpkin cranberry scones
Adapted from the November 2014 issue of Bon Appétit

I served these with salted maple butter (recipe here) but you could absolutely just have them with regular old (salted) butter, with butter drizzled with a little maple syrup, or just by themselves.


1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon regular)
1/4 teaspoon baking (bicarb) soda
1 cup plain flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
3/4 cup (6oz) chilled unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh/frozen/dried cranberries
1 large egg
1/2 cup pure pumpkin
1/4 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
2 tablespoons raw sugar


Whisk sugar, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, cloves, baking soda and flour in a large bowl. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate in butter, tossing to coat in dry ingredients as you go; toss in cranberries. Mix in egg, pumpkin and 1/4 cup buttermilk.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into a 1 1/2 inch thick disc. Cut into 8 wedges; transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Freeze til firm, 25-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Brush scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake til golden brown, 25-30 minutes.