I was first introduced to pumpkin scones at the wonderful Alice’s Tea Rooms in New York and have been hooked ever since. The pumpkin purée, flavoured with maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla, is what makes these scones really moist.
a baking sheet, greased and lined
a 7.5-cm/3-in fluted cutter
Makes 14
Preheat the oven to 190˚C (375˚F) Gas 5.
Put the pumpkin pieces on a large piece of double layer of kitchen foil. Drizzle over the maple syrup and vanilla extract and sprinkle with the cinnamon. Wrap the foil up well and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft. Let cool, then purée in a food processor.
Put the flour, baking powder and ground almonds in a mixing bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips. Add half the pumpkin purée and sugar to the flour and mix in. Gradually add the remaining purée a little at a time, until you have a soft dough. You may not need all the purée, depending on the water content of your pumpkin.
Put the dough on a floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the scone dough to a thickness of 2–3 cm/¾-1¼. Stamp out 14 rounds using the cutter. Arrange the scones on the prepared baking sheet a small distance apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, until the scones are golden brown and sound hollow when you tap them.
To make the glaze, put the maple syrup, butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a small saucepan and gently heat until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolves. Brush the glaze over the warm scones using a pastry brush. Serve warm or cold.
These scones are best eaten on the day they are made but can be frozen and reheated before serving.