Pumpkin-black Walnut Biscuits

Ingredients

2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 ts allspice
2 tb sugar
1/2 c butter
1 tb baking powder
3/8 c black walnuts
1 t baking soda
1/4 ts salt
1/2 c buttermilk
1/4 ts cinnamon
1/4 ts nutmeg

Instructions

Sugar "A batch of these intriguingly flavored biscuits is a nice addition to any meal. This particular biscuit has a tendency to overbrown on the bottom, so use a light-colored metal baking sheet instead of a nonstick sheet. Serve the biscuits hot with butter." Preheat oven to 450 F. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices into a large bowl. Cut in the butter (or use food processor) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the nuts. In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and buttermilk. Add it to the flour mixture and stir to combine. The dough will be quite stiff and not all the flour will be incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured cloth and knead gently a few times to work in the rest of the flour. Roll out the dough to a 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a 2 inch round cutter. Transfer the biscuits to a lightly oiled shiny baking sheet, and sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake for 10 minutes--do not let them get too brown. Serve immediately with butter. If you must have jelly with the, choose a delicate apple jelly so the subtle pumpkin flavor is not masked.