Did You Feel It?

There was a shift in the seasons recently.  That time of year when all things Summer--beach days, shorts, and backyard barbecues--is quietly packed up and set aside for the next 365 days.  You may have spied it in store aisles--heralded by the dominant color scheme of oranges, yellows, and deep umbers.  Yes...you know what I'm talking about...Pumpkin Spice Season.

Oh...you thought I was going to talk about Autumn?  Or even Back to School?  Nah...they seem to have fallen to the wayside over the past couple of years.  The shift of seasons is measured by the launch of the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks.  And much like the push for Christmas seems to be earlier every year, Pumpkin Spice season seemed to arrive earlier too.  Didn't it happen before Labor Day?  In the still sweltering days of August?

Pumpkin Spice lattes, pumpkin spice cream oreos, pumpkin spice flavored coffee, pumpkin spice cream filled Twinkies, even pumpkin spice sparkling juice.  If you have a Trader Joe's in the neighborhood and receive their Fearless Flyer ad, you may have noticed in the latest edition that the first page featured pumpkin tortilla chips, and deeper within the issue there were SIX additional pages of pumpkin-this or pumpkin spice-that flavored foods.

It's pumpkin overload.  Now...don't get me wrong.  I'm not anti-pumpkin.  I will occasionally enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie.  I think pumpkin biscotti are pretty darn fabulous, and pumpkin gnocchi with butter and sage has a place in my recipe collection.  But the pumpkin spice everything--when is too much, too much?

Before we attempt to answer that question, let me sneak in a recipe for pumpkin scones.  Yes, there is spice in it.  To take it up another notch...there's even chocolate.  Enjoy the pumpkin for a few more weeks, because before you know it, Gingerbread and Peppermint seasons will soon be here.


Dark Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Scones
Makes 14-16 3 inch scones

2 1/2 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp butter, chilled, in small cubes
1/3 cup milk or cream
2 eggs
1/2 cup 100% pure pumpkin
1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate, preferably 64% cocoa

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together and set aside.  In a small bowl, beat the milk and eggs.  Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients, mix in with either two forks or a pastry cutter until you have a pebbly texture.  Mix in the eggs and milk.   Add pumpkin and chocolate pieces, mixing until well combined.  Scoop heaping teaspoons full onto cookie sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until bottoms are golden.  Transfer to a cooling rack.  

The glaze on the scones below is a quick melt of roughly a tablespoon of butter and 4-6 small squares of chocolate (an inch by half inch or so).  Melt butter over low heat, add chocolate, turn off heat, and stir until chocolate pieces melt.  Drizzle over scones.  The chocolate glaze will harden slightly.  These are also pretty awesome without the glaze.

'Tis the Season

No, no...don't worry...the tree isn't up, the ornaments and lights are still in their boxes, and there isn't a strip of tinsel to be found anywhere here yet.  It's coming though, faster than you may think.  Thanksgiving is a mere two weeks away and I had already seen the Christmas decorations vying for space right next to the Halloween candy and costumes at Target.  I'm talking about that other indicator of the season, whether you call it the Fall Season or the Thanksgiving Season...I'm talking about pumpkin.

All over the internet, on Pinterest, and in the blogs I read, I've seen recipes with pumpkin--pumpkin roll, pumpkin donut holes, spiced pumpkin muffins, pumpkin- filled ravioli, the traditional pumpkin pie and loads more.  The Pumpkin Spice Latte has been back at Starbucks for at least a month.  So I decided to throw my hat into the ring and submit my take on a pumpkin something or other.  My pumpkin treat for today is pumpkin biscotti, because in my world, there is no such thing as too much biscotti.  I have to give this one to Kenny, lover of all things pumpkin, for giving me the idea to make these.  I definitely owe him a dozen of these cookies.

Being a relative newcomer to the Pumpkin Appreciation Society, I'm impressed with all the ways you can use pumpkin in recipes.  A word of warning, I still have pumpkin puree to use, so sooner rather than later, you just might see another pumpkin recipe here.  But for now, sit down with a cup of coffee, gather your energy for the upcoming hustle and bustle of the holidays, and have a cookie or two.

Pumpkin Biscotti
Adapted from Alice Waters' Anise Almond Biscotti recipe
Makes about 36-40 cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin 

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.  In a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Whisk to mix well.  In another bowl, add the sugar and eggs.  With either a whisk or electric mixer, whisk until pale yellow in colour and light in texture.  Add in the pumpkin and mix well.  Gradually add the flour mixture and stir to combine.  When the dough is mixed, turn out onto a floured board and split into two portions.  Form each portion into a loaf about 12-14 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide.  Place about 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown.
  
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Turn oven temperature down to 300 degrees.  Cut loaves into half inch slices and place face down on the cookie sheet.  Leave a little space in between each cookie.  (You may end up needing another cookie sheet for this or doing this in two steps.)  Bake again for another 25-30 minutes, turning the cookies over half way through the baking time.  Remove and cool on baking sheet.