Spiced Pumpkin Scones

The other day I had the most amazing squash curry at a Sri Lankan restaurant. Since yesterday I have had a craving for coconut and spiced gourd. I also wanted dessert. I decided to make scones!


4 cups all-purpose flour 
14 Tablespoons sugar 
2 Tablespoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
2 teaspoon ground cloves 
1 tablespoon ground ginger 
12 Tablespoons coconut oil 
1 cup canned pumpkin 
6 Tablespoons coconut milk 
2 large egg

1 cup shredded coconut

Sugar Glaze Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar  
2 Tablespoons coconut milk

Spiced Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar 
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar 
2 Tablespoons Coconut Milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
½ teaspoon ginger 
½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon tomato-pepper powder (with cayenne)

Scones Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.

4. With a fork, pastry knife, or food processor, cut coconut oil into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain.

5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

6. Spoon out scone portions.

7. Bake for 20 minutes until scones turn light brown. Knife test to ensure they are cooked all the way through.

8. Place on wire rack to cool.

9. Glaze

The best gooey cookies Evah!!!

•        1 cup coconut oil or butter/margarine

•        1/2 cup molasses

•        1 cup Peanut Butter

•        1 cup sugar

•        1 tsp. salt

•        2 tsp. vanilla

•        2 eggs

•        2 1/2 cups flour

•        1/2 tsp. baking soda

•        2 cups chocolate chips

1.       Preheat oven to 350°.

2.       In a mixing bowl, combine the butter with sugar and molasses; cream together until light and fluffy.

3.       Add peanut butter and mix well.

4.       Add the salt, vanilla, and eggs and beat until well mixed.  

5.       Add flour and baking soda; mix until just combined.

6.       Stir in the chocolate chips.

7.       Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets

8.       Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 10 – 12 minutes.

9.       Transfer onto plate or wire rack and let cool, or eat them hot (careful melted chocolate can burn)

If you want plain chocolate chip cookies, just leave out the peanut butter. This recipe works great without it as well. To make ginger molasses cookies, leave out peanut butter but add 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger and 2 tbsps powdered ginger! 

The Perfect Meringue

I've heard a lot of people complain that their meringue never works out. Usually the complaint is that they are too runny.

Here is a basic recipe and some tips, that have never steered me wrong. When you have the right stiffness of meringue  you can have a lot of fun with them, even making mushrooms.

4 Egg Whites
1 Cup of Sugar
1 tsp White Vinegar
1 tsp of Vanilla

In a large bowl beat the eggs with an egg beater at the high setting until white and frothy. Add the sugar slowly while continuing to beat. Once you have the mixture fairly stiff, add the vanilla and the vinegar  Keep beating until the eggs are so stiff that you can safely tip the bowl upside down.

Bake between at 225 degrees Farenheit for about 1 hour, until fully dried.

If you want to make gooeyer meringue, you can add half a cup of corn syrup. This is especially true for when you make certain types of meringue cake.

Now for tips:

1. Using room temperature eggs will double the yield of your meringue.  It can also help to make sure your bowl is not cold.

2. When you separate out the egg whites, make sure there is no trace of egg yolk. Even a bit of yolk will keep your whites from stiffening.

3. Make sure none of your equipment is greasy. Like yolks, grease will keep the yolks from stiffening.

4. Some recipes call for creme de tartre instead of vinegar, but I have found vinegar to provide consistent results. 

Made these mushrooms when my egg beater broke and beat the whole thing by hand with a fork.
The pain was worth it!