Perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack, these Pumpkin Scones are tender and full of fall flavor. They are perfectly light, fluffy, and moist.
Pumpkin for breakfast? Yes, please! For more delicious recipes, try these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, Pumpkin Waffles, or Pumpkin Pancakes.
There is nothing more fall-like than one of these pumpkin scones on a cool, brisk morning. There is just something about the smell of pumpkin spice in the morning.
This pumpkin scone recipe is easy enough to whip in the morning, but they are just as good as an afternoon snack. We love them so much that they don’t even last around our house!
Ingredients
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour. I have not tested this recipe using any other flours, but feel free to test on your own.
- Brown Sugar: I used light brown sugar – make sure it is packed when you are measuring.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: I use my homemade pumpkin pie spice. You could also use store bought.
- Baking Powder: This will give the scones some of their lift.
- Salt: The salt is to balance the flavors. I like to use sea salt.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter. You’ll want cold butter, and you’ll want it cut into small pieces. I like to cut it up and then place it back in the refrigerator until I’m ready to use it.
- Cream: You’ll need heavy whipping cream for both the scones and for brushing on top of the scones before baking. You can also use either cream or milk for the glaze.
- Egg: You need just one large egg.
- Pumpkin Puree: For the pumpkin, you can use homemade pumpkin puree or store bought.If using homemade, make sure it is drained. If the canned pumpkin looks really wet, I will sometimes drain that, as well.
- Turbinado Sugar: I like to sprinkle the tops of the scones with some turbinado sugar just before baking. This is totally optional, but it adds a great texture as well as some added sweetness.
- Powdered Sugar: This is for the glaze on top of the scones. No need to sift it first.
How to Make Pumpkin Scones
Start by combining the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice.
Mix this together well. I like to whisk it, and then take a rubber spatula to make sure there are no more clumps of brown sugar.
Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients.
Use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the butter into the flour mixture.
You’ll know when the butter is cut in sufficiently when the butter pieces are about the size of a pea.
In another bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup of the cream, the egg, and the pumpkin puree.
Add that wet mixture into the flour mixture. Mix this together. It will be fairly sticky and thick, and you’ll want to mix it just until it is combined.
Flour a counter and pour the dough onto the counter. I then like to sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough, as well, because it is pretty sticky still.
Use your hands to pat the dough out into a rectangle that is about 1 inch thick.
Fold the dough 1/3 of the way over itself. I like to use a bench scraper to make sure it is not sticking to the counter.
Fold the other side over the top. You can see how sticky the dough is by how much flour is on the dough now. I like to brush this off as needed so that I don’t have a layer of flour.
Pat the dough into another rectangle. This time, te rectangle will go the opposite way. You’ll fold both sides in again, then repeat one more time, for a total of 3 total times folding and flattening the dough.
Once you have folded 3 times, pat the dough into a circle that is about 12-inches in diameter.
Use your bench scraper to cut the dough into 12 wedges.
Place the wedges spaced out on a baking sheet lined with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
Brush the remaining tablespoon of heavy cream over the tops of the scones.
Sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top. Bake the scones until they are lightly golden around the edges, and remove from the oven to cool.
While the scones are baking you can make the glaze. It’s as simple as whisking together the powdered sugar, milk or cream, and a little bit of pumpkin pie spice.
Tips and Tricks
You don’t have to technically fold the dough – you can just cut the dough into wedges. But I like the layers and the lift you get when you fold the dough.
When mixing the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, do not mix more than needed. You want light and fluffy scones, so that means handling the dough as little as possible.
You can leave the glaze off if you don’t want the extra sweetness. Or you can leave the turbinado sugar off and just do the glaze. We are a sweet loving family, so I like to use both.
Storing and Making Ahead
One thing I love about scones is that they store so well. I think these were just as good on the second day as they were on the first day.
Store them lightly covered at room temperature. If you store them in an airtight container, the icing will get wet and thin.
You can also make these ahead of time and freeze until needed. I like to freeze them after baking, but before icing. Let them come to room temperature, and then add the icing fresh.
You can also freeze the dough and then bake from frozen. They will need a few extra minutes to bake, though, so keep an eye on them.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Pumpkin Roll
Pumpkin Pie Cake
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Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients
Scones:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter cold, cut into small cubes
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream divided
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silpat liner or with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt, making sure to break up any clumps of brown sugar.
- Add the butter to the flour mixture, and using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is in pieces about the size of a pea.
- In another bowl, whisk together the 1/3 cup of cream, egg, and pumpkin puree.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and mix until there are no more dry patches.
- Lightly flour a work surface and pour the dough on top. Work the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick, adding flour to the outside as needed to prevent it from sticking.
- Fold the dough over one-third of the way, (this is easiest using a bench scraper), then fold the other side over the top. Press the dough out to a rectangle that is 1-inch thick again, and repeat the folds. Press and fold one last time, then press the dough into a circle about 12-inches in diameter.
- Use the bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 wedges. Transfer the wedges to the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the scones with the remaining tablespoon of cream. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top.
- Bake the scones until they are lightly brown around the edges, about 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk (or cream) and pumpkin pie spice. You want it thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to stick, so add more powdered sugar or milk as needed.
- Drizzle the scones with the glaze. Allow the glaze to set up before serving.
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