If hosting an evening Thanksgiving smorgasbord is really not your thing, mix things up a little and make it a brunch! Think of poached eggs, turkey bacon, and now-in-season pomegranates gracing your table, with the mouthwatering aroma of freshly baked scones filling your condo.

Pumpkin scones, of course. Drizzled with a cinnamony, gingery-sweet icing, these brunch treats are practically guaranteed to make frequent out-of-season appearances (and multiple requests for your secret recipe).

2 cups flour (try half white, half whole wheat)
7 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each of salt, nutmeg, ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
6 Tbsp cold butter (up to 1/2 cup for extra richness)

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tbsp milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp orange juice or 1/2 tsp orange extract (opt)

Whisk together in a separate bowl, then fold into the dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball, then pat the dough into a circle on a lightly floured surface to approx 1 inch thick. Slice with a knife or pizza cutter into 8 equal sections (variation: use a round cookie cutter to make biscuit-shaped portions) and lay onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes.

Glazing is optional; try any of these suggestions separately or together

Basic Glaze
1 cup powdered (icing) sugar
2 Tbsp milk

Mix into a runny glaze and brush on cooled scones

Spiced Glaze
1 cup + 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch of ginger, cloves

Combine for a thicker drizzle. Use a squirt bottle or a sandwich baggie with a small hole cut in the corner to make a stripey pattern on the tops of the cooled scones. You can use this alone or on top of the basic glaze.

If you'd like to serve these scones straight out of the oven, simply dust the tops with a little cinnamon and icing sugar. They serve nicely with a tart jam or vanilla ice cream!

I received the recipe from my sister, and this version reflects the tweaks she and I made to the original version. The most important changes are to under bake slightly to keep them wonderfully moist and to increase some of the spices for extra flavor. Find the original recipe here.

What's missing? Add your Turkey Day brunch ideas here!

by Claire Rahn