pumpkin cranberry scones with vanilla orange icing

this delicious scone recipe is from the veganomicon, by the lovely ladies over at the post punk kitchen. i've made a few tweaks and added some homemade icing. you can make these with fresh pumpkin puree or canned, just make sure it's 100% pumpkin, and not 'pumpkin mix.' i like these spicy, but you can scale back on the spices if you'd like a milder flavor. you can also substitute almond or soy milk for the rice milk.

makes 12 large scones

scones:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup earth balance vegan buttery sticks, cold
3/4 cup soy creamer or rice milk
4 teaspoons ground flaxseeds
1 1/2 cups (1 can) pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup shelled pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

icing:
2 tablespoons earth balance vegan buttery sticks, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (spring for the real stuff!)
the juice from 1 orange
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 teaspoons arrowroot powder or corn starch

preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease two baking sheets.

in a large bowl, sift together all purpose flour, pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. chop the margarine into chunks, toss in the flour mixture, and cut into the flour with a pastry cutter (or you can use your hands!) until the mixture looks slightly crumbly.

in a medium sized bowl, whisk together the ground flaxseeds and soy creamer/rice milk. add the pumpkin puree, molasses, and orange zest, and stir until completely incorporated.

make a well in the center of the flour mixture. fold in the pumpkin mixture, then add the cranberries. stir until a soft dough forms; take care not to overmix.

divide the dough into two portions. place each on a seperate baking sheet and flatten into a large circle just over 1 inch thick. i use a spatula to get a nice round circle. with a large, sharp knife (or spatula), cut each round into six wedges. brush the tops with soy creamer and sprinkle pepitas onto each scone.

bake for 30 to 34 minutes until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges are lightly browned. let cool for 10 minutes before reslicing into wedges. transfer from the baking sheet to wire racks to complete cooling.

add icing ingredients to the bowl that was used to mix the pumpkin - i like a little pumpkin flavor to the icing - and whisk together. if the icing is too runny, add more arrowroot powder. use the whisk to drizzle icing over the cooled scones.

these scones are great with espresso!