Recipes: Philippa Cameron’s pumpkin and dark chocolate scones

Philippa Cameron’s pumpkin and dark chocolate scones. Photo / Philippa Cameron

Otematata Station’s cook and the woman behind What’s for Smoko has a series of go-to recipes for people short on time and energy.

Here, Pip shares one of her favourites with The Country.

These flavours need to happen more often – these scones are incredible!

My sister Hannah used to be a chef in many trending cafes in Dunedin, and the Otago Daily Times would often publish requested recipes in the paper.

Customers would request their favourite item at their local cafe – and the paper would try and get the chef to divulge their secret recipes.

Here is a link to Hannah’s original recipe.

I love dates – but I know you all love chocolate more.

And so when a friend, Rebecca, asked me if I had a pumpkin recipe I would share with her business – this amazing combination was born.

In New Zealand, we often talk about two degrees of separation between the known and unknown. Throughout the rest of the world, it is often seven. Except for me in the case of my friend Rebecca in Scotland. She is my good friend Jane’s childhood pen friend and we have become friends through social media.

Rebecca and her husband are sheep farmers in Scotland on a property called Arnprior. They are also pumpkin farmers. You can check them out here.

It may seem like a time-consuming recipe but all you have to do is save a cup of cooked pumpkin from a meal.

Or perhaps even cook up pumpkin, mash, and freeze in cup amounts in anticipation of making these scones.

Once you have your pumpkin pre-prepared then the rest is pretty easy.

It’s as simple as placing all your dry ingredients in and then making a well for your wet ingredients (except the milk).

Combine and add milk to make a dough.

Philippa Cameron’s pumpkin and dark chocolate scones

Pumpkin and dark chocolate scones - Philippa Cameron reckons these flavours need to happen more often. Photo / Philippa Cameron

Equipment

• Large bowl
• Danish dough whisk or a knife for combining the ingredients
• Lined baking trays
• Knife for cutting the scones

Ingredients

• 3 cups self-raising flour (or 3 cups of normal flour and 4½ tsp of baking powder)
• ¾ cup wholemeal flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 150 grams of chopped dark chocolate (I like to use Whittaker’s chocolate)
• 1 cup cold cooked and mashed pumpkin
• 75 grams melted butter (a dairy-free spread would work well too)
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup milk (a dairy alternative would work here too)

Glaze

• 1 Tbsp apricot jam
• 3 Tbsp boiling water

Instructions

Scone

Preheat your oven to 180 fan bake.

Line two oven trays.

Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.

Combine the melted butter, cold cooked mashed pumpkin and the egg in a separate bowl.

Pour the wet ingredients (excluding the milk) into the dry, and gently combine.

Gradually pour the milk into the mixture until it forms a dough.

Tip the dough onto a floured surface and pat into a square shape about 3-4cm high.

Cut into 12 equal-sized scones.

Place close together on your lined trays. This will encourage the scones to rise up.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Glaze

Combine the apricot jam and boiling water to make a glaze.

When the scones are cooked baste the glaze over each scone.

This isn’t necessary but very tasty.

This recipe was reproduced from Philippa Cameron’s What’s for Smoko website with approval. You can find more of her recipes on her Instagram page as well.