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Pumpkin Spice Scones

October 18, 2007 by Nicole 146 Comments

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Will you be having house guests during the holidays? These pumpkin scones are the perfect thing to whip up for guests. They come together quickly, bake in only 15 minutes, and will turn your house into an instant bed and breakfast. Give them a try!

When I checked my e-mail this morning I had a message from my friend Ruby. She suggested that I try to create some pumpkin scones because she is in love with the ones that Starbuck’s is selling right now. I’ve never tasted a pumpkin scone and to tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to.

When I think of using pumpkin in baked goods, I think moist. Things like pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, and more recently, pumpkin pancakes. But scones aren’t supposed to be moist. To me, the perfect scone is somewhere between a biscuit and shortbread. It’s rich and flaky and tender, but I wouldn’t want my scone to be moist.

But the more I thought about the pumpkin scones, the more I wanted to try it out. I looked for some imitation recipes online for Starbuck’s Pumpkin Scones and there were plenty. But I didn’t like them. I could tell they would turn out to be a different type of scone than I like. So, I went back to one of my own scone recipes and started from there.

First of all, I ditched the egg and replaced it with pumpkin puree. I increased the sugar a bit because I knew I couldn’t compete with a Starbucks scone without adding some extra sugar! I also decreased the liquid so that I could add enough pumpkin puree to actually give it some pumpkin flavor. And of course, I also added some of my favorite pumpkin spices.

First batch: Even though I had left out the egg and adjusted the liquid to try to compensate for the added pumpkin moisture, the dough was still too moist. I managed to work with it and get the scones shaped and baked but it was extremely messy! The flavor of the baked scones was good but the texture just wasn’t right.

Second batch: I decreased both the amount of pumpkin and amount of liquid and left everything else the same. This time the dough was perfect! The finished scones weren’t quite as pumpkin-y as the first batch but they still had a hint of pumpkin and the spices really came through. The best part was that they still tasted like a scone. The buttery flavor was there and the texture was there. With that second batch, I became a pumpkin scone convert!

Third batch: That’s right, I baked three batches of pumpkin scones today. Even though the second batch was really good, I wanted to try a batch with some raisins thrown in. I love raisins in pumpkin bread and I love currents in scones. So I figured that raisins in a pumpkin scone would probably be really good. Guess what? I was right!

Both the second and third batches were really good plain. But again, I know I’m competing with Starbuck’s scones here and I’m pretty sure those things are covered in a sugary icing. So, I decided to come up with some icing of my own that would compliment the flavors of the scones.

The first batch of icing I flavored with molasses and ginger. Although molasses can be a bit overpowering on it’s own, it was great in the icing. I chose to use only one spice in the icing instead of repeating all of the same spices that were in the scone. I wanted the icing to compliment the scone but also stand out a bit on it’s own. It worked and the flavor was strong enough that a little bit of icing went a long way.

The second batch of icing I flavored with just cinnamon. The flavor of this icing wasn’t as assertive as the other one but it definitely worked well on the scones. I found that I preferred the cinnamon icing on the pumpin raisin scones and the ginger molasses icing on the plain pumpkin scones.

So, Ruby, here are some pumpkin scones for you. Try them out this weekend and let me know what you think!

Nutrition

Calories

200 cal

Fat

1 g

Carbs

42 g

Protein

5 g
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Pumpkin Spice Scones
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Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup heavy cream

6 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (not required but makes cleanup easy!).

2. Ingredient prep: cut the butter into small pieces, put it in a small bowl and put it back in the refrigerator. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk together well. Place bowl in freezer (refrigerator is fine if you have no room in freezer).

3. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together well. Put this bowl in the refrigerator and take the other bowl back out. Get the butter pieces out of the fridge and dump them into the bowl with the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins if you are using them.

3. Get the liquid mixture out of the refrigerator and pour into the flour mixture all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is just moistened. The dough will be very crumbly, this is the way it should be. Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push the pile together with your hands. It should stick together fairly well. Knead it just a couple of times until everything is together. Don't knead it too much or the dough will get too sticky.

4. Pat the dough out into a rough circle, about 3/4-inch thick. Cut it like a pie into 8 pieces. Place pieces on the baking sheet so that they are not touching. Bake scones for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. They should be light brown on the bottom, the tops will darken as they cool.

Notes

Icing:

For ginger molasses icing, stir together 1 C. powdered sugar, 1 T. molasses, 1-2 T. milk, and 1/4 - 1/2 t. ground ginger (to taste). Adjust the amount of sugar or milk to make the icing the consistency you want. It should be pretty thick.

For cinnamon icing, mix together 1 C. powdered sugar, 2 T. milk, 1/4 - 1/2 t. cinnamon (to taste). Again, adjust amounts to change consistency. Icing can be brushed on or drizzled.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    October 10, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    Just made these this morning for my bible study group....delicious! Didn't think you could top the cranberry buttermilk scones....but these might be even better. Love you website! Don't stop.
    Reply
  2. Courtney D says

    October 21, 2009 at 6:34 am

    Wow! Found your recipe last night and woke up early this am to get to work! Amazing... you've made a follower out of me. Thanks for the great recipe- I look forward to see what else you have cooking!
    Reply
  3. Sarah says

    October 23, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    Pardon my confusion, but the first step says; "Cut the butter into small pieces, put it in a small bowl and put it back in the refridgerator. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk together well. Place bowl in freezer (refrigerator is fine if you have no room in freezer)." Am I really putting the flour/spice mixture in the freezer or am I reading this all wrong? Thanks for your help.
    Reply
  4. Nicole says

    October 23, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    Sarah: That's right! It's not absolutely necessary, but I like to work with really cold ingredients when making scones :-)
    Reply
  5. Kim says

    October 23, 2009 at 5:54 pm

    Hi Nicole, I'd like to know if this recipe or the pumpkin maple muffins would freeze well for a short time, as I would like to send some homebaked goodies to family, for the holidays. Thanks, Kim
    Reply
  6. Lisa says

    October 27, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    Thanks for the recipe! I can't wait to try it. My mother is allergic to eggs (and nuts, and is sensitive to some of the spices) so I can't wait to try them for her. For her I will spice with ginger & cloves and use the ginger molasses icing. But for my household I will follow it and use the raisins (or maybe make both ways, hmmm).
    Reply
  7. Aimee Westcott says

    October 28, 2009 at 12:09 pm

    I made your scones yesterday! They are DELICIOUS! I changed the topping a bit... added chopped pecans and brown sugar...but holy cow, my family thanks you! (And so do I!)
    Reply
  8. Sarah says

    October 28, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe! We were running low on ideas for our pumpkin bounty! Just to let you know, this was simple enough for my six and four year old girls to do themselves. A little help w/ the oven and the final stirring, a warning to not over-handle the dough, and they turned out perfect scones the first time! (And there will be a second...=) ) We're off to have an authentic British tea party! Thanks again.
    Reply
  9. Mary Ann says

    October 29, 2009 at 1:33 pm

    Wow- I just took these out of the oven and they are beyond perfect. Perfect texture, perfectly spiced, perfectly delicious. Great recipe. I will be making these again and again.
    Reply
  10. Elle says

    November 4, 2009 at 10:07 pm

    This was my very first scone recipe I ever attempted. My mom had never even made scones before. Ever. I know, how sad. But these were so delicious! So delicious, in fact, that I made a second batch as soon as the first came out of the oven. They were very quick and easy. I put both icings on the scones, kind of like how they do it over at the 'bucks. I'm taking these up for breakfast when I go up to the mountains for vacation this weekend.... there's just something about pumpkin, mountains and November.. thank you for the recipe! :)
    Reply
  11. Corinne says

    November 14, 2009 at 9:43 am

    This was my VERY FIRST time to make scones.... They were AWESOME!!! I am eating them right now! The only thing I did change was the cream (used fat free half and half), instead of all the different spices I used pumpkin pie spice (1 1/2 t), and cut up crystallized ginger (1/3 cup) to add to the batter. This made 8 perfect scones... and now 6 because I just devoured 2... hee hee! Thank for the recipe. I will make these again and again.. super easy! :)
    Reply
  12. Danielle says

    November 17, 2009 at 12:40 pm

    All I have to say is WOW! (I literally wrote that on this recipe!) I made these to a tee (w/o raisins) and the ginger molasses icing and honestly these may be the best scones I have ever tasted...and I LOVE scones!
    Reply
  13. Jessica says

    September 13, 2010 at 10:09 pm

    This recipe is simply amazing! I added a tad more pumpkin puree and spices and it turned out wonderful. For the molasses icing, I used sifted icing sugar and mixed it with an egg beater until thickened. Also, I bought some unsalted pumpkin seeds and flax seeds and sprinkled it on top of the cinnamon icing, then drizzled the molasses icing over top. They turned out wonderful!
    Reply
  14. mrsound says

    October 1, 2010 at 9:38 am

    I did try this recipe and it was really good. I suggest you go and try too Orange spice scones. Here's one recipe: http://www.foodista.com/recipe/GYFYWFQC/orange-spice-scones
    Reply
  15. Candyce says

    October 11, 2010 at 10:53 pm

    This recipe was soooooo good, my sister and I have been baking them like there is no tomorrow! lol
    Reply
  16. Becky says

    October 14, 2010 at 8:14 pm

    Well, I bake a lot but I have never had such a delicious aroma waft out of my oven. The house smells divine right now. Sadly, these are for a bake sale so I will not get to enjoy. Darn, I guess I'll have to make another batch.
    Reply
  17. Brianna says

    October 22, 2010 at 10:40 am

    I love this recipe and I'm dying to make it; however, I am for the most part gluten free and was wondering if I could substitute Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten Free flour for the regular all-purpose and cake flour?
    Reply
  18. Nicole says

    October 23, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    Brianna - I haven't tried making gluten-free scones, but I think the all-purpose gluten-free flour mix should be fine. Please let us know how it works!
    Reply
  19. Heidi says

    November 6, 2010 at 12:38 pm

    Pregnant, and craving pumpkin scones from starbucks, I decided I'd better find a recipe rather than make the purchase daily. I could tell from every recipte I read it wouldn't be right -- then I saw your picture AND your reference to starbucks. You're my hero a little bit. Thank-you for POSTING your effort!
    Reply
  20. Melinda says

    November 7, 2010 at 9:08 am

    Brianna~ instead of Bob's (which with the bean flour is not as good for sweet things) use 1c sorghum flour, 1/2c brown rice flour, 1/2c potato starch. Don't forget 1/2 teaspoon xan gum. I am making them gluten free right now! Instead of raisins, I used candied ginger pieces. Yum!
    Reply
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