Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones with Maple Nutmeg Icing

Gluten-free pumpkin scones with maple nutmeg icing.

Take a deep breath. Stop. Sit. I understand. I get it. And I know what you're craving. Because I'm craving it, too. After all the pre-Thanksgiving hubbub, after scouring the Internet for gluten-free recipes, after all the planning, the lists, the shopping at six different markets because one store never has everything you need (that would be too simple), the label reading, the patience (dug from somewhere deep and zen and maybe even vaguely transpersonal) to explain (again) why scraping the pumpkin filling off a wheat pie crust does not a gluten-free dessert make, what you crave (besides alone time with a freshly cracked book and your favorite mug filled to the brim with your beverage of choice) is something indulgent.

But not overly indulgent.

Sweet.

But not too sweet.

Something warm and tender, and laced with all of the holiday spices you've been shaking and dashing and pinching with abandon.

Something using up that leftover half cup of pumpkin sitting in the fridge.

Something for breakfast, perhaps. Or a mid-morning treat that is light and tasty but also comforting, in a warm-from-the-oven homey best friend hug kind of way. 

Are you with me?  Are ya feelin' me? 

Then let's get sconed.

Gluten-free scones worthy of tea time.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones with Maple Nutmeg Icing Recipe

I searched for the Starbuck's pumpkin scone recipe to use as a basic template for this gluten-free dairy-free egg-free scone. A scone to love. A scone to make my celiac readers happy and my lovely vegan readers and autie angels smile. I have no idea if the recipes I found on-line were the true Starbuck's recipe, but I took a shot. And by the time I was through converting it and taste testing the dough, I knew. Babycakes, this one's a keeper.

Ingredients:

1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup organic millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons organic light brown sugar
7 tablespoons cold shortening (Spectrum Organic Shortening)
1/2 cup mashed cooked pumpkin or canned pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 2 tablespoons warm water till frothy (non-vegans use 1 large organic egg, if you prefer)
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
3 tablespoons rice milk whisked with 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or mild rice vinegar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Lightly grease a 9-inch Pyrex pie dish. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours and dry ingredients. Add in the shortening by pieces and cut in the shortening (with a fork or a pastry cutter) and mix until the mixture looks sandy.

Add in the pumpkin, egg replacer (or egg), maple syrup and rice milk. Beat the batter briefly until the dough forms a smooth mass. You do not need to beat the dough very long- just until it is mixed.

Scrape the dough into the prepared pie plate. Using lightly oiled hands pat and shape the dough into a smooth flat round. Press the dough all the way to the edges of the pie plate.

Use a thin sharp knife to slice the dough into six wedges.

You can bake the scones together in the pie dish, or separate them and bake them on a baking sheet.

To bake them on a baking sheet: Use a thin and flexible spatula to remove the wedges from the pie dish one at a time and place them on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Using a knife or thin spatula, reshape and define the scones, if you need to.

Now brush the tops gently with:

Plain rice milk

If you like a crunchy top, sprinkle the scones with raw sugar crystals.

Place the pie dish - or the baking sheet- in the oven. Bake until the scones are firm and slightly golden- roughly 20 minutes.

Cool the scones on a wire rack and make the maple nutmeg icing.

Maple Nutmeg Icing

Use only a little liquid at a time as you beat the frosting. If it gets too thin, add more confectioner's (powdered) sugar.

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioner's or powdered sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rice milk
Pinch of nutmeg, to taste (start tiny, you can add more)

Instructions:

Beat until smooth and add more rice milk a tablespoon at a time until the icing is creamy- but not too thin. Taste test and add more nutmeg if it needs it.

Beat the icing for three to four minutes (this improves the texture).

Spoon the icing into a pastry bag fitted with a simple tip (or use a plastic sandwich bag with a tiny hole cut in one bottom corner). Chill the icing while the scones are cooling a bit.

Squiggle the icing on top of the scones, or spread on the frosting with an icing knife, if you like a lot of sweetness adorning your scone.

Serve immediately. I'm serious. Don't wait. Eat up, Darling. These scones are best enjoyed fresh from the oven.

Makes six scones.

Recipe Source: thanksgivingrecipes-1st.blogspot.com

All images & content are copyright protected, all rights reserved. Please do not use our images or content without prior permission. Thank you. 

Karina's Notes:

Like gluten-free soda breads these scones are best enjoyed the day you bake them. However, if you need to bake them ahead of time, I did a little experiment for you. If you must wrap and freeze these scones for the future, place the iced scones in the freezer before you wrap them up (briefly chilling them helps set the icing so it won't stick to the wrapping). To best preserve this kind of drizzled frosting in the freezing process, I think plastic wrap works better than foil.

When serving, remove the scones from the freezer and unwrap immediately (so the icing won't stick to the wrapping as it thaws and softens).

For best results- hands down- heat a thawed scone in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds- this restores the warmth and tenderness of a just baked scone.

More gluten-free pumpkin scones from food bloggers:

The Sensitive Pantry's Maple Glazed Pumpkin Scones

Candy's Gluten-free Vegan Pumpkin Raisin Scones

Daring to Thrive's Gluten-free Dairy-free Vegan Pumpkin Scones

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Roasted Acorn Squash Risotto

A delicious acorn squash risotto that is vegan and gluten-free.

Looking for a perfect fall side dish? Or a vegetarian knock-your-socks-off bowl of creamy goodness? Risotto might fit the bill. This is one of my all-time recipe favorites. In fact, it was the first dish I turned to eight years ago when I discovered I had to live gluten-free.

Way back then (insert hazy slow-mo flashback) I would add freshly grated Parmesan to the cooked risotto. Shaved Reggiano, to be exact. But these casein-free dairy-free days I enjoy this risotto strictly vegan. No cheese. And guess what? I don't feel deprived. Seriously. The flavors hold their own without the whole moo cow cheesy thing.

In fact, this risotto is so creamy-good and comforting I only think one thing as I taste bite after velvety bite: How could anything so simple taste so unbelievably good? Well, that, and, Who the heck needs cheese or butter, anyway?

Read more + get the recipe >>

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Delicious Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - dairy-free and rice-free, too

My best gluten-free bread recipe. Note: The loaf pictured has eggs.

Man shall not live by bread alone, so the famous saying goes. In other words, we need ideas to feed us, too. We need awareness. Conscious action. An expression and celebration of the spirit.

And yet (here's the sticky part, folks) almost every spiritual tradition includes the bread we shall not solely live by, whether it be a hand-torn loaf, a paper thin wafer, a piece of matzoh, a curve of naan, or a sprinkle of cornmeal. Breaking bread and sharing grain is a cherished and beloved symbol for community, celebration and tribal nourishment. From Holy Communion to the Super Bowl gatherings around an elevating principle or a family milestone (from birth to marriage to funerals) include the simple but connecting gesture of sharing food.

Because cooking makes us human.

Read more + get the recipe >>

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Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Pie - Easy Recipe

Gluten-free sweet potato pie- and vegan, too.

The afternoon sun is spinning the seaside air that particular autumn gold, burnished and warm and chilly all at once. Delicious. And gone too soon. The sun will officially set tonight at 4:50. I feel as if I am running out of time. There is so much I want to do- and never get done. I surrender my expectations day after day. The pile of choices snipped free by my dwindling energy is gathering a bulk and momentum akin to the dirty laundry (I’m still waiting for the post-menopausal zest promised by Margaret Mead).

But Santa Monica does not fade after dark. Her charms only deepen. So we walk after dinner to the Third Street Promenade and listen to the brave souls who risk their ego and their artistry (the unkind among us might quip, questionable talent) crooning songs or plucking violins or juggling. Palm readers and skateboarding bulldogs aside, it takes guts to stand in public and offer up a tune or a dance.

I come home inspired.

I am thinking a lot about my life these days. And what I want to do with the rest of it. Moving here is a new beginning (well, yeah, obviously). I am reinventing the woman I used to be. Spinning my own autumn magic from bits of bone and history.

I am not sure yet where I am headed. Or what will snag my interest. I am not sure what I will paint. Or write about. Maybe I should write a script. Or a book. About a woman. Someone I used to know (or thought I did). I look back into the past and wonder, did I invent her- cobbling disparate pieces of memory and duty and dreams? She is like a stranger to me now. Like a character in a movie I once saw. You know, that actress?

I can't remember her name.

It's not easy to determine these things, to peel back the past and keep only what is true.

There is a lot that no longer fits.

There are skins that itch to be shed. Old habits that are losing their velvet grip. Patterns and assumptions that chafe and seem downright absurd. Even comical now.

And then, there is suddenly so much space, so much sea and sky.

The burned and smoldering barn has been raked and sifted, the ashes buried or flipped into the desert wind. This bare-armed back slide of adolescence in reverse evokes the sensation of free falling back into girlhood. Like that first solo bike ride after a stifling family dinner when you finally wiggled away and peddled down the driveway past the porches past the neighborhood into the indigo evening air, unsure of the territory, grip strong, clean faced, exhilarated, with no map in your pocket but your belief in possibility.

A slice of sweet potato pie and a fresh, hot cup of coffee. Bliss.

Easy, Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

I made this melt-in-your-mouth pie in my new green apple Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, using the whisk attachment. It whipped up the pudding-like filling in no time flat. I let it beat for maybe 4 minutes. Have I mentioned my favorite aspect of this retro-glorious beast? Beating ingredients with two hands free. How have I baked gluten-free without one? I love it.

Ingredients:

1 15-oz can sweet potato puree (or 2 cups fresh cooked sweet potato, mashed)

3/4 cup organic brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/4 cup GF buckwheat flour or certified gluten-free oat flour

1/4 cup sorghum flour

2 tablespoons tapioca starch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 tablespoons light olive oil

1 tablespoon Ener-G egg replacer whisked with 4 tablespoons warm water till frothy (or 2 eggs)

1 cup vanilla hemp milk, coconut milk or almond milk

1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly oil a 9-inch glass pie plate.

Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat until the filling is smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl, if necessary to incorporate all of the dry ingredients.

Pour into the prepared pie plate and smooth evenly. Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 45 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until done. My pie took close to 70 minutes to bake.

The pie should be firm- but still give a little when lightly touched. The center should not be wet. It will fall a bit as it cools, and may even sport some cracks around the edge, like my Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe.

Cool the pie on a wire rack completely. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving. Chill at least four hours for best taste and texture. Chilling the pie overnight is even better.

Serve cold or slightly chilled. Sprinkle with toasted chopped pecans, if you like. Or try it with a scoop of coconut milk ice cream.

Cook time: 70 min

Yield: 8 servings

Recipe Source: thanksgivingrecipes-1st.blogspot.com

All images & content are copyright protected, all rights reserved. Please do not use our images or content without prior permission. Thank you.

 

Karina's Note:

If you don't have sweet potato, try canned pumpkin or squash in this recipe. Both work extremely well.

Crave whipped cream? Look for a gluten-free non-dairy coconut milk, soy or rice based whip in the dairy section.

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