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These pumpkin scones are all about the cozy vibes. Tender, flaky and full of pumpkin flavor, the finished scones are drizzled with a simple spiced glaze.
If you’ve never made scones, then you might be pleasantly surprised to know that they’re very easy to get right. Like biscuits, scones are made by working butter and flour together until crumbly, and then stirring in the liquid ingredients.
There’s really only one rule to making scones: don’t overwork the dough. Stirring the dough too much, or kneading it, will make the scones overly firm with a more bread-like texture. For gently crumbly scones, flaky biscuits, or shortbread crusts, you want to work the dough just enough to bring it messily together.
How to Make Pumpkin Scones
I usually mix these up by hand, just using a large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon. You can get fancy and use a food processor and a stand mixer, but there’s something so comforting about having your hands in the dough working everything together. In my opinion the old-fashioned way is the best way with scones.
- Prep your tools and make sure your butter is cold. I really do recommend making sure that your butter is good and cold. You can put it into the freezer for about ten minutes before baking, just to get it thoroughly chilled. At the same time, you can have the oven preheating and prepare your baking sheet. I line mine with a large sheet of parchment paper or a silpat.
- Combine Dry Ingredients & Add the Butter. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices, mixing well. Then, add the cubed butter. Using your fingers, just rub the flour and butter together to incorporate. Continue doing this until the flour mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
- Combine the Wet Ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, cream, and egg.
- Add Wet Ingredients to Dry Ingredients. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and gently pour in the liquid ingredients. Then use a large spoon to gently combine the liquid and dry ingredients into a messy dough. Try to make sure that the dry bits at the bottom of the bowl get mixed in too.
- Shape and Cut the Dough. Turn your dough out onto a floured surface, and gently fold and press it into a big circle, about one and a half inches thick. Dust a sharp knife with flour, and cut the circle like a pizza into six triangles. Use the knife to lift each triangle onto the baking sheet. (You could also cut these out with cookie cutters, dusting the cutters with flour between each cut.)
- Bake the Scones. These scones should bake for about fifteen minutes, give or take a couple of minutes. They are done when they begin to take on a golden color. Remove them from the oven, and place them on racks to cool slightly before glazing.
How to Make and Use the Glaze
While the scones cool, make the glaze. Start with just a spoonful of milk or heavy cream to the confectioner’s sugar and spices, adding more liquid as needed to create a thick, creamy glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the scones while they are still somewhat warm. Feel free to glaze the scones twice in order to get a thicker, crispier finish.
Storing Pumpkin Scones
Scones can be stored on the counter, no need to refrigerate. I usually use a semi-airtight container to prevent the moisture from the scones from making the glaze sticky. You can do this by just leaving a small opening in your storage bag or container.
Homemade scones will keep for 3 days. (Though whether there will still be any left in 3 days is another question, we usually eat these all within a day.)
Can I Freeze These?
Scones typically freeze very well! They will keep for up to two months in the freezer, and probably longer, if tightly wrapped and placed in freezer bags. Press as much air as possible out of the bags before sealing.
Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground all spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
- ½ cup canned pumpkin
- 7 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 large egg
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 – 4 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- A pinch of allspice
- A pinch ground cloves
Instructions
To Make the Scones:
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- With your hands, mix the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. (You can also use a food processor with a pastry attachment, but that’s not as much fun.
- In a medium bowl combine the pumpkin, sugar, cream and egg with a whisk. Fold into the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon until the dry bits at the bottom of the bowl have been incorporated.
- With your hands, pat the mix into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Continue to shape into a ball, then gently press down and out, forming the dough into a flattened circle about 1 to 1½ inches thick. If the edges of the circle start to crack just place the palm of your hand against the edge and gently press the dough back in.
- Dust a large, sharp knife with flour and cut the dough into six triangles. Slide the knife under each triangle to help you lift and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. (If you are using a cookie cutter, dust the cookie cutter with all purpose flour before pressing it into the dough, then repeat every time you cut additional dough shapes. The flour helps prevent the dough from sticking to the cutter.)
- Bake for 14 – 16 minutes, or until the scones begin to turn light brown in color. Place on a rack to cool.
For the Spiced Glaze:
- While the scones are cooling, mix the confectioners sugar, milk and spices together in a small bowl. (Begin by adding a tablespoon of the milk, then add more as needed until you have a thick, pourable glaze.)
- Drizzle over the scones while they are still warm. We glazed the scones twice. We used half during our first pass, then let the glaze set on the scones for a few minutes before finishing them off with the rest of the glaze.
Forgive me, should the syrup you referred to on this recipe be maple syrup as in your other scone glaze recipes??? Thank you!
Thank you for your question! I updated the instructions and added a note to clarify. Appreciate your reaching out. 🙂