We Keep Running Out of Snacks [and a recipe for Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones with Bourbon Glaze]
A few days ago, one of my kids walked in from the garage holding a nearly empty, Costco-sized bag of tortilla chips. He stuffed a few crumbs into his mouth when I realized, “Wait, isn’t that the bag that’s been sitting in the garage all night?”
So yeah, my kid is eating stale chips from the garage. But also, why were the chips in the garage?
After school every day, my kids raid the pantry for snacks, wondering what they can scarf down while I remind them to eat their lunch leftovers first. In a couple of my kids’ lunchboxes, there are usually large portions of sandwiches and apples still waiting to be consumed. They take a few bites, then beg for the snack food. I probably too often give in, knowing my husband will end up taking the day-old apple slices for his own lunch the next day–a parenting sacrifice neither of us knew about when we signed up for this gig.
One day when I gave into their need for snack food, my daughter took the Costco-sized bag of chips into the garage, and she and her neighborhood friends munched on the last couple servings while drawing or planning or plotting or whatever elementary-aged girls do these days. Despite my myriad reminders to throw out the trash, the bag got left in the garage with only a few crumbs…which one of my sons gladly polished off a day later.
My point? The snack situation in my house always seems dire. I mean, how can these tiny humans eat go through Costco-sized anything as quickly as they do?
I’m trying to more often make some snacks, because let’s be honest, prepackaged goodies from Costco aren’t easy on the wallet. Sometimes, I’ll bake a batch of muffins or healthy-ish cookies or apple bread to feed the ravenous wolves that circle my house about 3:40 every Monday through Friday.
A few weeks ago, the toddler napped longer than expected, so I seized the opportunity to make a batch of scones. And of course, not long after they were out of the oven, the wolves swooped in from school and happily inhaled said scones with the fervor of an animal who hasn’t eaten for weeks.
Thankfully, they were kind enough to leave one lone scone for my husband to enjoy the next day. And no scone remnants were left in the garage.
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones with Bourbon Glaze
Yields 8 Scones
Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Scones
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
2 Tablespoons bourbon
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 teaspoons turbinado sugar for topping
Bourbon Glaze*
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons bourbon
1 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
For the scones
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
“Cut” the cold butter into the flour. To do this, you can first cut the butter into small cubes, and then mix it into the flour with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly. Another option I like is to use a cheese grater. Grate the stick of butter into the flour, then mix with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, ¼ cup of heavy cream, bourbon, egg, and vanilla until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Pour the wet ingredient mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently until a sticky dough forms. Stir as gently as possibly and don’t mix any more than necessary.
Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface. Add some flour to your hands and form the dough into a circle, about one inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 triangle shaped slices and transfer to the lined baking sheet (make sure you leave at least a couple inches between each scone so they don’t get smushed together when they bake).
Brush the scones with the last tablespoon of heavy cream, then sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of each one.
Put the baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
While the scones are in the freezer, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the scones to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack, then top with the glaze (instructions below). Scones taste best when enjoyed fresh, but if needed, you can keep them in the refrigerator for a couple days.
For the glaze
Add the butter, syrup, and bourbon to a small saucepan set over low heat. Stir together until the butter is melted. Turn off the heat, then whisk in the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt to taste. Drizzle over the scones.
*The alcohol in the glaze won’t cook out completely, so if you’re serving kiddos or others avoiding alcohol, you can omit the bourbon or skip the glaze altogether.
