Pumpkin-Walnut Biscuits

I have had a request to share the recipe for the pumpkin biscuits I served with the last blogs soup.  Though the recipe calls for walnuts, I omitted them.  Nuts in muffins seem appropriate, but not in biscuits.  A texture thing, I suppose.  The recipe comes from a Pumpkin Cookbook by DeeDee Stovel.

Pumpkin-Walnut Biscuits

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1 cup unsweetened pumpkin

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Dump the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the nuts (if using). Stir in the pumpkin and mix until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times, adding a little more flour if it is very sticky.

4. Pat the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick circle and cut biscuits with a 2-inch round biscuit cutter.

5. Place the biscuits 1 inch apart on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, until risen and lightly browned.