More Fall-like Food

I've been considering the following biscuit recipe for quite some time- on some days, the concept seemed like a fantastical combination. Other times I felt a little bit squeamish adding elements of pumpkin pie to a kind of food that I hold a little sacred.

You see, one of the most delicious and Midwestern dishes I can think of is fluffy buttermilk biscuits douced in a ladle-full of sausage chunks and gravy. Yes, several orders of McDonalds fries are probably more healthy and less full of various starches and fats- which is why you only consume it maybe once or twice a year. But that is clearly a tanget. I love biscuits- and almost all varieties of quick breads. As their name suggests, they are much quicker and easier than negotiating yeast bread recipes.

After sampling one straight out of the oven (PLAIN, mind you), I couldn't help but grab two or three more immediately.

Pumpkin Biscuits. WHO KNEW?!

Ingredients
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice***
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons honey
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes.

3. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended; add canned pumpkin. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 14 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.

***I didn't have pumpkin pie spice. While at the store, I saw a small plastic jar (McCormick Brand) cost a whopping $6. Highway robbery! So I did some quick research and decided that about 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, a dash of ground cloves and another of mace- all substituted just fine. Granted, I do have the majority of the Penzeys store in the cupboards next to my range.