Freckled Italian: Guest Post | Recipe: Paleo Pumpkin Maple Scones

Today I have a guest post for you from the darling Ksenija of With An Open Mind. She's made some delicious seasonal treats for you--and they're Paleo, too! I hope you enjoy. Here's Ksenija:

Happy Tuesday, Freckled Italian readers. I am Ksenija from With An Open Mind and delighted to be guest posting on Megan's lovely blog today. Blogging is an outlet for me to share my various passions from healthy living and recipe developing to travelling the world and online marketing.

I am a foodie at heart and thus I was more than happy to work on a seasonal Paleo scone recipe to share with you. Do you remember the delicious PPSL (Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte) Megan wrote about last October? I wanted my scones to be something to eat alongside a steaming cup of PPSL, using similar ingredients, and be easy to prepare. For those of you not following a Paleo diet, don't worry: I shared my scones with friends and family and they were a big hit. Nutty, soft and satisfying, while also healthy, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Yields 12 scones

Ingredients for the scones:

2 cups almond flour

2 T coconut flour

1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg (or 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice)

pinch of sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 T coconut oil

1.5 eggs

2 T maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp maple syrup

0.5 egg

Ingredients for the glaze:

1 tsp pumpkin puree

1.5 tsp coconut cream (the seperated upper part in the can) *or coconut oil

1 tsp almond butter

1 T maple syrup

dash of cinnamon

dash of sea salt

dash of vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 F).
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients first: almond and coconut flour, spices, salt and soda. In a second bowl mix pumpkin puree, vanilla, coconut oil, egg and maple syrup. Add wet ingredients to the dry. Incorporate until you get a dough. It won't be quite kneadable and remains a bit sticky.
3. Sprinkle some almond flour on a lined baking tray, place the dough in the middle of the tray and start forming a circular shape with wet hands. It should be a bit less than 1 inch thick. Cut into 12 triangles without separating.

4. Whisk the leftover 0.5 egg with maple syrup and cinnamon. Spread the mixture on top of the dough (there might be some left over) and place the tray in the preheated oven.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Take out when slightly golden.
6. While you wait for the scones place all of your glaze ingredients in a mug, microwave them for up to 30 seconds (to melt the coconut cream) and whisk until they are evenly incorporated. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes.
7. Let the scones cool for a few minutes when they come out of the oven. Fill the glaze in a zip lock bag, cut an edge off and drizzle it over your scones. Wait until it firms up (patience!) before separating the individual scones and enjoy the first one while still warm.

Best way to store these lovely bites until your next cup of PPSL is to keep them in the fridge. I wish you all a sweet fall season. Thanks Megan for having me!