For me, life is about balance. I love sweets and baked goods, but I try to make them a little healthier when possible. These reduced guilt bourbon pumpkin scones pack a punch of flavor, but have half the fat of regular scones. Let me be clear that half the fat does not mean that these have any artificial products in them. I just replaced half the butter in regular scones with pureed pumpkin! This is a great trick and an easy way to add nutrients and flavor while cutting back on calories.
Reduced Guilt Bourbon Pumpkin Scones:
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oat flour (1 cup of rolled oats ground into flour consistency)
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick cold, salted butter
- ½ cup pureed pumpkin (I used the one in the can)
- 1 tbsp. molasses
- 2 tbsp. Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 large eggs beaten
For Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup bourbon, reduced down to 1 tbsp. (See directions)
- 2 tsp water
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the flours, baking powder, spices, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to combine.
Here’s where it gets fun! Usually when making scones I cut the cold butter into cubes and add that into the bowl of the food processor, however I recently saw something on The Chew about grating your butter. Yup, you heard me, grating your butter to make scones. Instead of having to cut up the butter and have it stick to your knife, just take your cold butter from the fridge and grate it on a regular old box grater. I think it’s so much easier and faster, and it seems actually incorporate easier, especially if you’re cutting the butter into the flour mixture by hand. If you are using the food processor, add in the cold, grated butter and pulse until butter is cut into dry ingredients and is strewn throughout the mixture in pea size pieces.
Combine all the wet ingredients (including the pumpkin) in a separate bowl and mix well. Add the wet ingredients into the dry in a slow and steady stream, pulsing the food processor as you go to create a sticky dough. You just want to continue pulsing until a sticky dough is formed. Do not over mix.
Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure all ingredients are combined. Note that the dough will be very sticky, so liberally flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough out to a 1 inch thick log that’s a nice rectangle. It should be about 12 inches by 6 inches (give or take).
To make these reduced guilt bourbon pumpkin scones, I cut the rectangular dough to make 12 triangles. Place unbaked scones on a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
NOTE: If you aren’t going to bake them right away or have to bake one cookie sheet of them at a time, put the raw scones on a cookie sheet in the fridge. This way they will be ready to bake when you’re ready, and the butter will stay cold, creating a flaky scone.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.
To make the glaze, simmer the bourbon for 5 minutes until it is reduced down. You will end up with about 1 tbsp. of bourbon goodness! Combine the powdered sugar, reduced bourbon, water, and vanilla bean paste. If it is too thick, add a touch more water. When the scones are done, cool for 15-20 minutes and drizzle each scone with some of the glaze.
Note** if you’re trying to bake the scones ahead of time, I recommend glazing them the day of. When you store them, the glaze tends to make the scone a bit soggy.
These reduced guilt bourbon pumpkin scones make the perfect gift, breakfast, or sweet treat. Enjoy!