Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Pumpkin Glaze
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Inspired by Starbucks’ famous pumpkin scones, these breakfast treats are packed with pumpkin flavor.
Inspired by Starbucks’ famous pumpkin scones (only better, imho), these bronze beauties are packed with pumpkin flavor and lavishly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. The addition of molasses and pumpkin makes them more tender than your typical scones, almost like pumpkin bread in scone form. The spiced pumpkin glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness, as the scones themselves aren’t overly sweet, and really drives the pumpkin flavor home. Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients; it’s really just a lot of spices, and many of the ingredients are used twice — once in the scones and again in the glaze.
What you’ll need to make Pumpkin scones
If canned pumpkin isn’t available where you live, or you’d just prefer to use fresh, that’s not a problem. For baking, the most flavorful pumpkins are smaller than those typically associated with Jack-O-Lanterns. They’re usually in the 4 to 8-pound range and are referred to as sugar, cooking, or pie pumpkins. This detailed piece from King Arthur Flour provides guidance on how to convert a whole pumpkin into purée that can be used in this cake (or any of my other pumpkin recipes).
Many readers have asked if the spices in this recipe can be replaced with pumpkin pie spice. Although the mixture of spices in pumpkin pie spice is not an exact match (pumpkin pie spice sometimes includes allspice), it’s fine to use it here. Just replace the individual spices with an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice, so in this case, you’ll need 1 tablespoon for the scones and 1 teaspoon for the glaze.
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, combine the pumpkin, heavy cream, egg, molasses and vanilla in a medium bowl.
Whisk to combine and set aside.
Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse until evenly combined.
Add the chunks of cold butter.
Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized chunks of butter within. Those little chunks of butter are important and will render light and flaky scones.
Add the pumpkin mixture.
And pulse until the dough comes together. It will be sticky, and you should still be able to see some chunks of butter.
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour.
Gently knead the dough into a smooth ball, then divide in half.
Form each half into 5-inch circles, about 3/4-inch thick.
Cut each circle into six wedges.
Place the scones on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden.
Let cool for about 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Meanwhile, make the glaze: combine the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin purée, water, and spices in a medium bowl.
Whisk until the glaze is smooth. It should be thick.
Spoon the glaze over top of the scones, letting it drip a bit down the sides.
Let sit for about 30 minutes for the glaze to set, then serve.
Note: This scone portion of this recipe is based on a popular copycat recipe for Starbucks’ pumpkin scones that’s all over the Internet, but I’ve changed the method and recipe a bit. The Starbucks’ version has two thin glazes: plain and pumpkin. This version has a single thick pumpkin glaze, which is easier to make and packs much more pumpkin flavor.
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Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Pumpkin Glaze
Inspired by Starbucks’ famous pumpkin scones, these breakfast treats are packed with pumpkin flavor.
Ingredients
For the Scones
- ½ cup canned pumpkin purée (I use Libby's)
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon molasses, such as Grandma's Original
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with knife, plus more for dusting
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter
For the Glaze
- 1½ cups Confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons canned pumpkin purée
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, egg, heavy cream, molasses, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Process for about 20 seconds to combine; be sure no lumps of brown sugar remain.
- Cut the cold butter into ½-inch chunks. Add to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal – it should look unevenly crumbly with some pea-size chunks of butter within. Add the pumpkin mixture and pulse just until the mixture comes together. The dough will be very sticky, and you should still be able to see some pea-size clumps of butter.
- Lightly flour a countertop or work surface. Dump the sticky scone dough onto the floured surface and dust the top lightly with more flour. Using your hands, gently knead the dough until it comes together into a smooth ball. Divide the dough in half. Dust your work surface with flour again and form each half into a 5-inch circle, about ¾-inch thick. Using a sharp knife dusted with flour, slice each circle into 6 even wedges (cut each circle in half, then cut each half into thirds). If the dough starts to stick to the knife, dust the knife with more flour. Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the scones for 12 to 15 minutes. To see if they are done, peek at the bottoms; they should be slightly browned. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the Confectioners' sugar, pumpkin, water, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg until smooth. The glaze should be thick.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the glaze over each scone, letting it drip a bit down the sides. Wait about 30 minutes for the glaze to set, then serve.
- Note: The scones are best served fresh on the day they are made but will keep well in a covered container for two days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Put the dough wedges on a baking sheet, let set in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking, let the scones cool completely and store in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the scones from the container and let them come to room temperature. (For best results, glaze after defrosting.) **If you have the option to freeze the scones before or after baking them, you will get the best results if you freeze them before baking.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 scone
- Calories: 261
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Sugar: 23g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Sodium: 193mg
- Cholesterol: 41mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made these amazing pumpkin scones on a fall afternoon. I did double the recipe as it only makes 12. They are delicious! They do take a little bit of time but well worth the effort. I will definitely make them again. They remind me of fall.
A magnificent recipe! I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 baking flour, & they were scrumptious! I even prefer them without the glaze! Thanks for a rainy-afternoon-winner of a recipe!
Hello Jen!
I am making stuffed pumpkins for a large group of people. The recipe calls for Gruyere cheese and. I .need a lot of it. Is there another cheese you could recommend using because Gruyere is so expensive and is not in our budget.
Thank you.
Hi Virginia, you could go with Emmental, Fontina, or Cheddar. 🙂
This was absolutely delicious! Tasted like cider mill donuts with pumpkin flavor! We loved it. I love all of your recipes, thanks a million.