Harvest Pumpkin-Cranberry Breakfast Scones

1. Preheat oven and prepare baking sheets

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lightly grease two baking sheets. This ensures your scones will bake evenly and not stick to the sheets.

2. Mix dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. This step evenly distributes the leavening agents and spices throughout the flour.

3. Cut in margarine

Next, chop the cold vegan margarine into small pieces and add it to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or a heavy fork, cut the margarine into the flour mixture until it looks slightly crumbly. This creates a tender texture in your scones by distributing little pockets of fat throughout the dough.

4. Mix wet ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground flaxseeds and soy creamer. Then add the pumpkin puree, molasses, and freshly grated lemon zest, stirring until everything is well incorporated.

5. Combine wet and dry ingredients

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the pumpkin mixture. Carefully fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, being mindful not to overmix. Overmixing can make the scones tough. Once the mixture starts to come together, fold in the chopped cranberries.

6. Shape and cut dough

Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a circle just over 1 inch thick on the prepared baking sheets. Using a sharp knife, cut each circle into 6-8 wedges.

7. Garnish and bake

Brush the tops of the scones with a bit of soy creamer and press a few pepitas into each one for a delightful crunch and visual appeal. Bake the scones in your preheated oven for 30-34 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean and the edges are lightly browned.

8. Cool scones

Allow the scones to cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes before reslicing and transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy them hot out of the oven or toast and butter them the next day for a delicious treat.