Sconsicles

On Tuesday I made scones. Not only did I make scones, I made pumpkin scones. Not only did I make pumpkin scones, I made them for a bake sale hosted by some co-workers to benefit children in developing nations. I commenced writing this post with my usual edgy wit, making biting comments about how lame pumpkin baked goods are and how I'm too cool to care about children in the third world, but then I decided that I don't want to go to hell.

Sure, I find pumpkin baking just slightly too evocative of homemaker stereotypes, and women who spend the months of november and december slaving in the kitchen for ungrateful guests and claiming to love every minute of it (what? What issues?). I also generally elect not to participate in fund raising activities, especially those benefiting something as obscure and vast and distant as impoverished children in lands far away (sorry, I can't control my inner satan). Nonetheless, on Tuesday afternoon I found myself in the kitchen, holding a can of pumpkin, and scouring my brain for what I could contribute to the bake sale.

I landed on scones. Let's be real. Scones are delicious. Yes, they are kind of wimpy in that endearing British way, especially when exacerbated by the addition of pumpkin, but they are supereasy to throw together, and challenging to ruin.

I turned to my friend joyofbaking.com and came up with this:

Pumpkin sconsicles - no nuts and NO raisins

* 2 cups flour
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 tsp ground ginger
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* pinch o salt
* 1/2 cup cold butter
* 1/2 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
* 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400˚.

Mix the flour, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, bp, bs and salt. Crumble in the butter (most recipes will recommend a pastry cutter or two knives. I use my hands) until the mixture consists of many small balls of butter and dry ingredients.

Pour in the buttermilk and mix. Stir in the pumpkin and vanilla. Do not overmix. Divide the dough into two equal halves. Place one on a floured surface. This dough turned out pretty sticky, so I suggest using extra flour. Shape the dough into a pancake-like shape about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut into 8 even pieces and place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the second half of dough. Yes, these are mini-scones. Adorable.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove, then cool on a rack.

Yumsicles.