• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (fresh is always best when using nutmeg)
  • ½ teaspoon ground mace
  • 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger, optional
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/3 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup heavy cream or buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Egg Wash:
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk or cream
  • Raw sugar for top of scones

Today I made these delicious pumpkin chip scones for the EMT’s and firemen who came to help me yesterday afternoon after I was attacked by yellow jackets. Can’t say I blamed the poor buggers (pun intended).  I did have a very loud hedge hog in my hand. I was trimming our bushes when the nest found me! An epipen, two wonderful sons, incredible neighbors, very fast firemen and EMT’s all made sure that I was breathing again!

Alex drove in the front of the ambulance with the EMT driver and Nate followed behind. My hubby met us at the hospital. It was definitely an eventful day which turned into the evening! I think we got home around 8:30 pm.

When thinking of what to bring to the fire station I remembered my pumpkin chip scones…

Last year I had the pleasure of hosting the very first “Camels Cooking with Elise” event. My oldest son Nathaniel is the president of Ignite, one of the student ministries, at Campbell University. My youngest son, Alexander, is now a member of this wonderful group, too.

Rudy Thomas, one of the event coordinators, called to ask me if I would host a group cooking class for college students who wanted to learn how to cook. Of course it would be my joy! We had no idea how many students would join us. I was pleasantly surprised when 21 outstanding college kids arrived at my door last night!

Rudy and I discussed an autumn menu that would be both comforting for this time of year and also affordable for college students. I knew what the prefect menu would be! We made Spinach Artichoke Fondue with Roasted Vegetables and cubes of bread, Alexander’s Favorite Herb Biscuits, my Ultimate Potato Leek Soup topped with crispy bacon and these amazing Pumpkin Chip Scones!

I loved the enthusiasm of the students wanting to learn how to cook and the reluctant participators who, by the end of the evening, really got comfortable and confidant in the kitchen! I look forward to visiting the campus in the future and having these students show me a recipe or two that they’ve created or tried to recreate! Happy cooking my camels!

This is the perfect recipe for this week’s FN Dish Fall Fest.

Be sure to check out my other friend’s recipes featuring the great pumpkin and join the conversation by sharing these links on facebook and Twitter. Please leave your tips/recipes/and favorite links in the comments below this Fall Fest post! Then click around to the other collaborators and do the same. Now don’t y’all just keep it to yourself now…be sure to share the love and join in on the conversation! I look forward to your comments!

 

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins and pecans, if using. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) thick. You can cut your scones with a biscuit cutter like we did last night, or the traditional way by cutting the circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles).

Place the scones on the baking stone or sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Place the baking stone or sheet in the middle of the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

 

Here are some other Cooking with Elise recipes featuring pumpkin:

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes
Pumpkin Granola Bread
Pumpkin Granola Pancakes

More terrific pumpkin recipes:
What’s Gaby Cooking: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
The Cultural Dish: Pumpkin Waffles
Cooking With Elise: Pumpkin Chip Scones
And Love It Too: Creamy Pumpkin Fruit Dip
CIA Dropout: Pumpkin Panna Cotta With Gingerbread
Haute Apple Pie Girls: Pumpkin Bread Parfait
I Am Mommy: Pumpkin Pancakes
Dishin and Dishes: Maple Pumpkin Creme Brulee
Virtually Homemade: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins With Pumpkin Seed Streusel
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Pumpkin Pizza
Daydreamer Desserts: Pumpkin Fattigman
From My Corner of Saratoga: Baking Pie In The Pumpkin
FN Dish: The Ultimate Pumpkin Soup
Cooking Channel: Pumpkin Risotto
The Sensitive Epicure: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies With Molasses Marshmallows
Daily*Dishin: Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake
ZaikaZabardast: Pumpkin Jalebi
Mooshu Jenne: Pumpkin Nutella Bread
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf