The 13 Days of Pumpkin: In Which We Get a Little British With Our Desserts

So I slacked a little the other day--long day at work and just too stinking tired to bake and blog.  So I shall make up for it today with Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle and Pumpkin Scones.  Makes me want to brew up a nice cuppa and settle in to wait for the hurricane that's about to take out my homeland (and with any luck, my piece of junk car).  I will also make up for it by sorting out the picture issue!  Check it out guys, pictures in not only this post, but all the ones from the rest of this month that were missing!  YEEHAW!

Get ready guys!  NEW PICTURES WILL HAPPEN IN THIS POST!

First, the trifle.  This one is pretty easy to whip up and lovely looking to serve at a party.  I do strongly recommend investing in some tall, clear glasses (trifle glasses, for example) to show off the loveliness of this tasty delicacy.  Naturally, I don't have such a thing.  I do have highball glasses though--short and squat but got the job done.  The recipe I found told me to use Biscoff cookies.  I have no stinkin' clue what the heck a Biscoff cookie is, nor could I find them in the stores.  So ginger snaps it is!  Put about 12-15 cookies in a plastic bag and smash them like they just insulted your mother.  Mix the crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter and press the crumb mixture into the bottom of each glass (4-6, depending on the size of your glasses) as a crust.  With a mixer or a whisk, beat together 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 1 cup pumpkin, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice till well blended and smooth.  Fold in half a tub of whipped topping and blend until there are no streaks.  Spoon or pipe some of the cheesecake mixture atop the crust, then a layer of whipped cream and continue alternating the two till the glass is filled.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  If you want to dress them up, sprinkle some cinnamon or cookie crumbles over the top and enjoy!

Don't let the name fool you, these things are a seriously tasty dessert!

And now, everyone's favourite accompaniment: scones!  Combine 2 cups flour, 1/3 packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt with a whisk.  Cut 1 stick unsalted butter into chunks and cut it into the dry ingredients until you've got coarse crumbs no larger than peas.  Mix in 1/3-1/2 cup butterscotch chips.  In a small bowl or large measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar--let it sit 5 minutes before moving along), 1/2 cup pumpkin and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Add the wet to the dry, mixing till just combined--don't overwork the dough, or you'll end up with tough scones (I feel like there's a double entendre to be made there.  I'll leave it up to the classiest of my readers to do my dirty work).  Slap your messy, sticky dough onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper (or foil) and shape it into a large circle.  Bake at 400 degrees for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the scones to cool to room temperature before cutting into slices like a pizza.  Then prepare a glaze by whisking together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and a dash each of ground nutmeg, ground ginger and ground cloves.  Add 2 teaspoons milk to start with; blend it in, adding tiny amounts of additional milk as needed until you have a nice thick glaze.  Drizzle the glaze over your scones and allow it to set before serving.  Om nom nom!

Scone.  Rhymes with gone.  As in, all gone in my belly!