Pumpkin Scones
These easy Pumpkin Scones are soft, buttery scones with crumbly edges. They’re perfectly spiced and are topped with pumpkin icing. They're the perfect easy recipe for fall brunches or afternoon tea or coffee.
Servings: 8 scones
Calories: 409kcal
Ingredients
Pumpkin Scones
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold, cubed into ½ inch cubes
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree Measure ⅔ cup pumpkin puree, then blot it with paper towels until you have about ⅓ cup (80 g) of thick pumpki
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup heavy cream cold, divided, start with ¼ cup, add up to 1/2 cup plus more for brushing
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
Pumpkin Spice Sugar
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or substitute nutmeg or extra cinnamon
Pumpkin Spice Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Pumpkin Scones
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Dust a clean counterspace or pastry mat lightly with flour.
- Place the butter in the freezer for 15 minutes. Next, chop the cold butter in half lengthwise. Turn it on its side and cut lengthwise again. Slice the butter into ½ inch cubes. Place butter in the fridge to stay cold until you're ready to use it in the recipe.
- Next, blot the pumpkin to absorb excess moisture. (See recipe notes below for more information). Spread 2/3 cup of canned pumpkin puree on a large dinner plate. Blot it with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Do this one full paper towel at a time until most of the excess moisture is absorbed. You'll most likely need at least five full paper towels. After blotting, you should end up with about 1/3 cup or 80 grams of pumpkin.
- In a medium bowl, stir to combine the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, vanilla, and ¼ cup of the heavy cream. Chill the mixture while you prepare the dry ingredients.(Reserve the rest of the heavy cream in the fridge to add to the recipe as needed and for brushing on scones before baking).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together to combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ground spices and salt.
- Add the chopped butter and toss with a spatula to make sure all the pieces of butter are coated with flour. Work the butter into the dry ingredients using 2 forks, a pastry cutter or your fingers until the butter is about the size of peas. It's okay if some pieces of butter are slightly smaller or larger.
- Drizzle the prepared mixture of wet ingredients over the butter/flour mixture. Stir with a spatula until a dough forms. If there are still dry spots, add a little more heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time. I typically add 3-4 more tablespoons of heavy cream into the scones dough. Lightly flour your hands and gently work dough into a ball. Do not overmix.
- Turn dough out onto your lightly floured workspace. Lightly knead the dough briefly (push the dough down gently, fold it over on itself and then rotate it. Do this process about 4 times. Avoid overworking. Use your hands to pat the dough into a circle between 6 and 8 inches.
- Use a long sharp knife or bench scraper to slice the dough into 8 triangles. Place scones evenly about 2 inches apart onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush the tops with heavy cream. Sprinkle each scone with pumpkin spice sugar (recipe below).
- Bake scones for 17-20 minutes. Allow scones to cool to room temperature before icing.
Pumpkin Spice Sugar
- In a small bowl, stir together the turbinado sugar and spices until combined.
Pumpkin Spice Glaze
- In a medium sized bowl, stir to combine the powdered sugar, pumpkin puree (not blotted), heavy cream, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon or drizzle it over the scones.
Video
Notes
Pumpkin puree:Use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. The cans look similar but they’re different!
Cold ingredients: Cold butter, cream, and egg help the scones stay flaky. Keep everything cold so the butter doesn’t melt before baking.
Blotting pumpkin: Pumpkin purée is very wet, so blot it well with paper towels before using. This removes extra moisture and keeps the scones crumbly and buttery instead of muffin-like. Use about 4–5 full paper towels (more if they’re thin) until you have about ⅓ cup of blotted pumpkin purée.
Heavy cream: You can use cold whole milk or buttermilk instead of heavy cream.
Chill Before Baking:Chilling the cut scones for 45–60 minutes keeps the butter firm and prevents spreading.
Glaze: If the glaze is too thick, add a bit more cream; if too thin, add more powdered sugar. Drizzle with a spoon or pipe from a zip-top bag — you can even draw little pumpkin shapes!
Storage: Best the day they’re made. Store airtight at room temp for 1–2 days, or in the fridge up to 3 days. Freeze up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1scone | Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 318mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 4105IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 2mg
