Orange Spiced Pumpkin Scones

I know you may be skeptical of this one, but once you try the combination of pumpkin, cardamon, cloves, and orange you will be hooked! I love my classic pumpkin scones, but I especially love this little twist on tradition.

Note, these scones are best eaten the day you cook them. This recipe makes 8-10 scones, so if you don't plan on eating them all, either freeze half of the pre-baked scones or divide the dough in half and make 4 large scones. You can make these scones ahead of time and freeze the pre-baked scones until the morning you need them. (Let them sit on the counter for 10 minutes while the oven pre-heats and then cook them as per the recipe. I have also taken mine straight from the freezer to the oven and they were great.)

Ingredients

Dry:

• 2 1/4 cups spelt flour (plus a little extra for patting out dough)

• 4 tsp baking powder (1 tbsp)

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 1/4 tsp cardamon

• 1/8 tsp cloves

• 1/8 tsp 5 spice powder

• Zest of one orange (save some to garnish top of scones)

Wet:

• 1/2 cup raw cashew butter

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

• 1 tsp cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup dates, soaked for 10 minutes in hot water (or use 1/3 cup maple syrup)

• 1 1/2 tsp orange extract (I used this one)

Glaze:

• 1 cup Lakanto powdered sugar (or regular powdered sugar)

• 2-4 tbsp orange juice

• 1/8-1/4 tsp orange extract

• Pinch of cloves

• Orange zest

• Optional, candied pecans

Optional Add Ins:

1. 1/2 cup candied pecans

2. 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper.

2. Cover the dates with hot water and let soak for 10 minutes.

3. Put vinegar in the almond milk and set aside (to 'sour').

4. Mix together dry ingredients, tossing the zest in at the end.

5. Place the wet ingredients in a Vitamix and blend until smooth.

6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix gently.

7. Fold any optional add ins into the dough.

8. The dough will be sticky. Spread about 1/8-1/4 cup flour onto a clean surface and dump the dough onto the flour. Gently fold the dough like a book towards the center incorporating enough of the flour to make it not sticky. Try not to overwork the dough.

9. Pat the dough into a 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick round circle and slice it like a pizza into 8-10 triangles depending on the size you want your scones to be.

10. Place the triangles apart from one another on a parchment lined baking pan and cook for 20-25 minutes.

11. Once cooled, drizzle on glaze. To make the glaze, sift powdered sugar into a bowl and whisk in orange juice, extract, and spices, adding more orange juice if necessary to your desired consistency.

12. Top with zest and candied pecans. To candy the pecans, dry toast the pecans in a skillet and once slightly browned turn remove from heat and add: pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or other desired spice), and 1 tbsp maple syrup. Stir and let cool.

First photo is pre-baked (you can freeze them at this stage) and second photo is baked. These photos show a halved recipe making only 4 scones.