On the evening of Halloween, I found myself stretching at a familiar pace during my regularly scheduled yoga class. Arms up, forward fold, flat back, jump to plank. Somewhere between upward dog and downward dog, my mind started wandering. What happened to my favorite holiday? Why hadn’t I dressed up this year? Inhale, exhale. Where are the Halloween parties? If I’m not hearing about the parties, does that mean I’m doing something wrong with my life? Or am I just too old for them? There I was, hanging upside down on my hands and feet, flashing back to college. At this time five years ago, I thought, I’d be asking my roommate Grace for help with my Princess Leia buns. Later that night, I’d be dancing around to Thriller with my friends—each a different character with a sloshing red Solo cup in hand.
I went home feeling all stretched out and sentimental. I poured myself a glass of wine and nibbled on a dark chocolate mini peanut butter cup. That wasn’t cutting it. I missed my roommates and our three-day Halloween extravaganzas. I briefly considered taking a shot of whiskey for old time’s sake (bad idea). Then I recalled that Grace wanted a pumpkin scone recipe. She mentioned it when I went to visit her in Minneapolis this summer. Grace loves to spend quiet mornings with a cup of black coffee and a scone. I set down my glass of wine, got up and made pumpkin scones at midnight. Two batches later, I ended up with a simple whole wheat, vegan pumpkin pecan scone topped with a sweet maple glaze. I opted for coconut oil instead of butter in this scones, which is even easier to work with than butter and works just as well. I think you’ll like these, G.
I know some people try to avoid powdered sugar, whether it’s because the store-bought kind is usually cut with corn starch or simply because it’s refined sugar. I thought you might like to know that you can make your own powdered sugar in a blender or food processor. I used fine organic cane sugar (see above photo, left side) but read that you can also make it with turbinado sugar or sucanat. Just pulse the sugar until it’s nice and fluffy (see above photo, right side)!
More Pumpkin Treats to Enjoy
Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes Healthy Pumpkin Bread or Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Perfect Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
View more pumpkin recipes here.
Change it up: You can modify this recipe by omitting the nuts altogether and/or adding chopped dark chocolate. If you want a heartier, less sugary topping option, try serving the scones with pecan butter and maple syrup instead of the glaze. *Coconut oil note: The scones turn out their flaky best when you cut solid coconut oil (or cold butter) into the ingredients (melted oil would not have the same effect). Coconut oil hardens at temperatures under 77 degrees Fahrenheit, so I hope your oil is good to go. If it’s liquid, refrigerate the amount needed just until it turns opaque and solidifies, but not until it’s rock hard.
