Pumpkin Scone Recipe

Name: Pumpkin Scone Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 5 tablespoons butter (cold); 1 tablespoon baking powder; 3 tablespoons sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1/2 cup pumpkin puree; 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 2 tablespoons milk (for brushing); 1 tablespoon sugar (for sprinkling); 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1 tablespoon butter; 1 tablespoon milk; 1/4 teaspoon Maple Extract

This easy Pumpkin Scone Recipe is the perfect breakfast treat to whip out on a crisp fall day. Each soft and tender scone is full of pumpkin flavor with pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and maple glaze drizzled over the top.

If you’ve still got pumpkin puree leftover, you can also try our Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Waffles, Pumpkin Pancakes, or Pumpkin Spice Syrup.

Pumpkin-fans will go nuts over these easy pumpkin scones, topped with homemade maple glaze. And if you are impatient, don’t worry—they can be made in just about 30 minutes flat. This recipe doesn’t require you to wait for them to chill in the fridge!

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Thanks to the pumpkin puree and heavy cream, these scones are also extra tender. The homemade maple glaze on top perfectly compliments the savory pumpkin flavor and warm baking spices. Basically, this is the perfect fall scone recipe. Serve with jam, whipped cream, or whipped cinnamon honey butter for the perfect sweet breakfast.

Pumpkin scone dough in a food processor.

Key Ingredients

Butter – anytime you are making scones or biscuits, you want to keep your butter as cold as possible before mixing so that it has less time to warm up. The little pockets of butter are what help to create moist, flakey, and tender scones. If the butter warms up too much, it will just melt right into the rest of the dough and you’ll end up with cakey scones.
Baking Powder – a little extra leavener will help the scones rise a bit in the oven.
Sugar – for both the scone dough and the topping for the scones, you will need granulated sugar. For the maple glaze, you will need powdered sugar.
Heavy Cream – the extra fat content in heavy cream helps keep the scones super tender.
Pumpkin Puree – for scones, I recommend using the canned puree rather than homemade, which will have a higher water content. Be sure not to use pumpkin pie filling because it is already sweetened and has extra flavors in it.
Spices – I like to use cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, but you can mess around with the baking spices that you want to use.
Milk – a little milk brushed over the tops just before baking holds the sprinkled sugar in place while also creating a little extra shine.
Maple Syrup – for the best flavor, use pure maple syrup. Pancake syrup is full of corn syrup and artificial flavoring.
Maple Extract – this isn’t 100% necessary but it will give the flavor an extra boost.

Scone dough formed into a circle and then cut into triangles.

How to Make Pumpkin Scones

Make the pumpkin scone dough. In a food processor, pulse the flour and butter about 10 times, or pea sized. Add baking powder, sugar, and salt and pulse again to mix. Combine with the cream, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Mix, using a spatula or wooden spoon, until the dry ingredients are wet. Do not overmix!
Cut the scones. Spray a 9-10″ round cake pan with nonstick spray, then gently and evenly pat the scone dough into the bottom of the cake pan to create a circle shape. Invert the dough and slice into 8 even triangles. Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
Make the maple glaze. Combine the melted butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, and milk and stir until smooth.
Glaze and serve. Remove the scones from the oven and drizzle with the maple glaze. Allow them cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Brushing milk over the tops of these pumpkin scones and then sprinkling sugar over.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you freeze scones?

Yes! Unbaked scones can be stored in an airtight container or freezer bags for up to 3 months. To bake, just pull from the freezer onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and allow to thaw in the fridge.

Why are my scones so dense?

The most likely reason for dense scones is that the dough was overmixed. You only want to mix the dough until you no longer see dry flour. There should still be clumps of butter!

Do you need to chill the dough before baking?

If you have the time, it’s always a good idea to chill the scone dough before baking. It allows the butter to cool back down again and gives the flour a little extra time to absorb any moisture. However, it isn’t completely necessary so if you don’t have loads of time, you can still make these scones in just about 30 minutes.

Spooning maple glaze over the top of homemade pumpkin scones.

Storing and Make-Ahead Instructions

Room Temperature: store baked scones in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: store baked scones in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: scones are best frozen after they have been cut, but before they have been baked. Freeze them on a flat tray until hard, then store them in freezer bags for 3 months. To thaw, transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.

A baking sheet with pumpkin scones topped with maple glaze.

More Biscuit and Scone Recipes

These soft and tender Pumpkin Scones are full of pumpkin flavor and topped with our homemade maple syrup glaze. Serve as a perfect fall breakfast treat.

Categories:

Breakfast, Fall Recipes, Halloween, Nut-Free, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Winter Recipes,

Pumpkin Scones