Pumpkin Scones & Cranberry Chutney

'Tis the season: pumpkin scones with a tart cranberry chutney.  

These scones are just sweet enough for a treat and light enough for a holiday morning.  And this tart cranberry chutney (that easily doubles as a homemade cranberry sauce for turkey) is a fragrant spread filled with the flavors of apples, walnuts, and citrus.  

What goes best with pumpkin and cranberry on Christmas morning?  From my own holiday favorite A Charlie Brown Christmas, here's the Vince Guaraldi Trio's "Skating."

Pumpkin Scones: 
*You'll make the cranberry chutney separately! (Recipe below adapted from Starbucks' Pumpkin Scone recipe)
--2 c. flour
--1/4 c. dark brown sugar  
--1 tbsp. baking powder
--pinch of salt
--1 tsp. ground cinnamon
--2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
--6 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled
--1/2 c. pumpkin puree
--1 tbsp. molasses
--3 tbsp. half & half
--1 large egg
--1 tbsp. cinnamon & granulated sugar mixture (for topping)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt.  Cut in the butter (as if making a pie crust).  In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, molasses, half & half, and egg.  Slowly fold into the flour & butter mixture until you've got sticky dough.  

Place dough on a floured surface and form into a ball.  Flatten the ball into an approx. 12-14" disk of dough.  Score the dough so that you have 8 triangular pieces of dough--just like a pizza--but do not separate from one another.  Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar mixture on top and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and slice through the scored pieces of dough (now you're separating the individual scones), and return to oven for another 2-4 minutes, or until just golden in color.  Allow to cool.

Cranberry Chutney:
*Adapted from Paula Deen's cranberry sauce
--1/2 c. granulated sugar
--1/2 c. light brown sugar
--2 tbsp. fig vinegar
--1 bag fresh cranberries, washed
--2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
--1 c. chopped walnuts
--1/4 c. Grand Marnier
--juice from one large orange
--juice from one lemon
--2 tsp. ground cloves
--2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Heat sugar and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer until the sugar has dissolved.  Next, add the cranberries and return to a boil for 5-7 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes (or until the chutney is the desired consistency--the longer you simmer, the thicker the chutney).  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Spread generously on pumpkin scones.  Happy holidays!