Pumpkin scones made with roasted pumpkin, vanilla, warm autumn spices and chunks of white chocolate. This recipe is perfect for an autumn afternoon tea, a quick breakfast on the go, Hallowe’en party or family get-together. Whip up a batch of these pumpkin scones to satisfy any sweet tooth or pumpkin spice craving.

These pumpkin spice scones are warm, comforting and delicious! A batch of these can last you for a whole week’s worth of fall breakfasts (or desserts). They pair exceptionally well with a cup of strong coffee or black tea.

Nothing beats a pumpkin spice scone for breakfast on a warm autumn day. The combination of the fresh pumpkin with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves adds some extra depth of flavour to every bite. Brown sugar also provides some subtle sweetness that’s not overpowering, and the white chocolate adds a creamy, sweet element to the scone.

These scones have a moist and tender crumb that’s not overly dry or crumbly. While this is partially due to the addition of the pumpkin, the shaggy dough base also plays an important role here. The incorporation of cold butter into the flour mixture, followed by gentle kneading results in the scones having a slightly flaky texture on the outside while remaining soft inside.

What Pumpkin To Use For Great Pumpkin Scones

There are a few things to keep in mind if you want to make great scones. First and foremost, choose your pumpkin! Canned or fresh is completely fine, although I do recommend choosing a sugar pumpkin specifically if you opt for fresh.

Canned pumpkin is often considered the best choice for this recipe, since it doesn’t contain as much moisture as fresh, but not to worry – all you have to do is strain your fresh pumpkin once it’s been cooked and puréed.

Using Fresh Pumpkin

If you do intend to use fresh puréed pumpkin, make sure to squeeze out the excess liquid from the fresh pumpkin purée through a cheesecloth or clean tea towel – one that won’t matter if it’s permanently stained forever afterwards.

More Tips and Tricks For Amazing Pumpkin Scones

Here’s just a few more tips and tricks to make sure your pumpkin spice scones turn out great. Most importantly, don’t over mix, and roll out your dough to 3/4 inch thick!

• Don’t over mix! To ensure your scones are light and fluffy, avoid over mixing the dough. Over mixing will cause tough chewy scones. Yuck.
• If you choose to add white chocolate, make sure to distribute the pieces evenly throughout in the dough. Use a folding technique to incorporate them gently with a spatula (again to avoid over mixing).
• Place some parchment paper on top of the scone dough while rolling the dough out. This dough can be slightly on the sticky side, and you don’t want to add too much extra flour either (no more than a tablespoon or two, max. Placing some parchment paper, or even plastic wrap over the dough while rolling the dough flat makes it easy to roll them out – plus your rolling pin remains fairly clean!
• Roll the scone dough out to 3/4 of an inch thick (about 2 cm). This is the perfect thickness for scone dough, since if they are much thinner they become too dry. Any thicker and they will taste underbaked and take on a cake-like texture.

• Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into triangle shapes. You’d be surprised how many scones you can get out of one piece of dough! They kind of puff outwards and upwards as they bake, so don’t worry – you can definitely get 10-12 scones out of this recipe. Make sure the knife you use to cut the dough is sharp. I find a serrated knife works best.
• Alternatively, try making round or pumpkin-shaped scones! If you don’t like triangles, just make 10-12 equal portions of dough, roll them into round balls and then flatten them to 3/4 inch thick. You could even decorate them once baked to look like pumpkin!
• Brush the scones with milk (or cream) and sprinkle them with a pinch of sugar before baking. This will give the scones a beautiful golden finish and enhance their slightly crispy outside texture.
• Bake the scones is a moderately hot oven: 400˚F is perfect. They are the sort of baked good that I consider to be somewhere in between a cake or loaf batter and a pie pastry or bread. They share qualities with each of these baked goods, without identifying as either one. Of course, the 400˚F baking temperature of scones accurately reflects their pastry identity crisis perfectly.
• Let the scones cool on a wire rack. Try not to let them cool on the baking tray, since prolonged contact with the bottom of the pan can cause the scones to become a bit soggy, due to the heat from the scones having less surface area to escape from. Just put them on a wire rack – you’ll have to put them on one anyways when you drizzle them with glaze later.
• Add some cinnamon glaze. This is the best part, don’t skip it unless you genuinely despise glazes, the cinnamon flavour adds so much! Drizzle the glaze generously for the scones in a zigzag pattern. Makes sure the scones are on a wire rack for this part, and you may want to place something underneath the rack to catch the icing drips – the parchment you used to roll the scones out previously could be re-used here.

So, are you ravenous for fresh scones yet? Let’s get to the recipe!

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Pumpkin Spice Scones

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and spices.
3. Add the cubes of cold butter, then knead the mixture until it forms a shaggy dough.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin purée, milk, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until smooth.
5. Add the pumpkin mixture to the shaggy dough. Combine thoroughly to form a smooth dough.

6. If desired, add the white chocolate pieces. Knead or fold the dough gently to distribute the chocolate evenly throughout.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out in a circular shape, about ¾ inch thick. You may want to lay down some baking parchment on top of the dough while rolling to prevent sticking. 
8. Use a sharp knife to cut out 10 triangle-shaped scones.
9. Transfer the scones to lightly oiled or parchment-lined baking sheets. Use a pastry brush to brush them with milk, then sprinkle a little sugar over the scones.

10. Bake the scones at 400˚F for 15-20 minutes.
11. Once baked, remove the scones from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool. 
12. Once the scones have cooled, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered icing sugar, 2 tbsp milk, 1 tsp cinnamon, and ½ tsp vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. 
13. Drizzle the cinnamon glaze over the cooled scones. Place parchment or a cooled baking sheet underneath the wire racks to catch any icing drips.
14. Store the scones in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

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Perfect Pumpkin Pastry Treats