When I first started baking, scones were among the first few recipes that I tried and tested. I loved the simplicity of scones, and how easy they are to make.
Naturally, when I was living in the United States last fall and pumpkins were everywhere, I knew that I had to make a batch of pumpkin spice scones that featured the flavors of this popular winter squash, and warming spices as well.
I remember savoring them the moment they came out of the oven, eating one after the other because they were just too good for me to stop.
These pumpkin spice scones are my personal tribute to those beautiful fall memories, and I want to show you today how easy they are to make.
If you’ve already had enough of those overly sweet pumpkin desserts – classic pie or cheesecake bars, anyone? – but still want to make use of the bounty of the harvest, I can assure you that this recipe is your answer.
In my opinion, much like my apple caramel version, these autumnal scones are the perfect baked good for the season!
They’re great for accompanying a hot cup of tea or coffee, especially with our pumpkin coffee creamer, and they’re the best option for satisfying a more subtle sweet tooth.
If you’ve never made scones before, don’t be afraid. They’re much easier than they may seem to prepare in your own kitchen.
When baking, it’s important to consider how you work the dough, and to knead it well – but not excessively – until it comes together. Here in Argentina where I currently live, people say you have to amasar con ganas – which literally means to knead the dough with desire, or better said, with intention.
The trick is in combining both the dry and wet ingredients together and then kneading the dough until it is smooth and can easily be shaped into a circle. Once that’s done, all you need to do is to cut and bake them until they are golden brown.
I like to cut mine into wedges, but you could just as well cut out circles instead.
That’s how easy it is to make these scones. Ready to make a batch right now? Let’s go straight to the recipe!
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Pumpkin Spice Scones
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
Description
Moist, soft pumpkin spice scones are a subtly sweet treat to enjoy for breakfast on a cold fall morning, or alongside an afternoon cup of tea.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves together in a large bowl until combined.
- Grate the butter with the coarse side of a box grater. Scatter the grates over the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until you get a sandy texture that resembles cornmeal.
- In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, egg, heavy cream, honey, and vanilla extract. Whisk well until the ingredients are blended together completely.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and stir well until you get a soft dough. It will still be quite crumbly.
- Transfer the dough to a floured piece of parchment paper and knead it well with floured hands until it comes together.
- Use your hands to shape it into a circle about 2 inches thick, and then slice it into 8 even triangles.
- Transfer the parchment paper with the dough triangles onto a baking sheet. Reposition the wedges so that there is about 1 inch of space in between each one.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the middle rack in the oven. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.
- Transfer the scones onto a cooling rack. Let the scones cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 mintues
- Category: Scones
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Baked Goods
Keywords: scones, pumpkin, spice
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step 1 – Preheat Oven and Prepare Mise en Place
Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F.
To improve your baking routine, it’s important to first read through the entire recipe and make sure you have everything you need an understand the prep procedures.
Gather all of the necessary cooking equipment and utensils. Measure each of your ingredients, both wet and dry, so they will be ready to go.
You can make your own unsweetened pumpkin puree with Foodal’s help, but a store-bought version will work just as well here.
I loved making and freezing large batches when I would visit the farmers markets in the fall!
Step 2 – Combine Dry Ingredients and Butter
Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves together in a large bowl until combined.
Grate the butter with the coarse side of a box grater and scatter the pieces over the flour mixture. Cold butter is best for this step – it will be difficult to grate room temperature or softened butter.
Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or two butter knives, until it resembles cornmeal.
Step 3 – Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Add the pumpkin puree, honey, heavy cream, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until all of the ingredients are combined completely.
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture, thoroughly scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula so you don’t waste anything. Stir well until a soft, crumbly dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a floured piece of parchment paper and knead it well with floured hands until a smooth dough comes together. Be careful not to excessively overwork the dough, or your final product will not come out light and tender.
I like to work directly on the parchment paper – that way, I’m not making too much of a mess on my kitchen table or counter that I need to clean up later, and I can then easily transfer the entire thing to the baking sheet.
Step 4 – Shape
Use your hands to shape the dough into a circle that’s about two inches thick, and then cut it into 8 even triangles – the way you would slice a pizza in wedges.
If you prefer, use a floured cookie or biscuit cutter to cut it into circles instead, and push the remaining dough back together to continue cutting circles out until you have used most of it up.
Transfer the parchment paper with the dough triangles onto a baking sheet.
Reposition the wedges so that there is about 1 inch of space between each one. You need to do this so that they bake evenly on all sides.
Step 5 – Bake
Place the sheet in the middle of the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Immediately transfer each wedge to a cooling rack. Let them cool for about five minutes before serving.
Drizzle and Impress
In my opinion, these treats are amazing on their own, or served with a smear of butter.
But if you prefer to sweeten them up a little more, you can always drizzle a bit of honey on top of the baked scones, or some other type of glaze of your choosing.
Try a simple powdered sugar icing with a touch of vanilla extract or orange zest.
Or use our super easy spiced glaze, that you can make with freshly ground spices.
Not only will a drizzle of honey or sweet sugar glaze increase the flavor impact even more, the gorgeous presentation will also impress your guests.
What other types of sweet pumpkin treats do you like to make at home? Let us know in the comments below.
Looking for seasonal recipes that are more on the savory side to serve for dinner or as an appetizer? Pumpkins are incredibly versatile in the kitchen, and can be used in many different recipes. Try these next to continue celebrating the fall harvest in creative ways:
About Felicia Lim
Felicia Lim is a Singaporean who moved to Argentina for love. Based in Buenos Aires, also known as “the Paris of South America,” she fills her days with freelance writing, recipe development, and food photography – three passions that give her endless joy. When she isn’t typing away at her computer, cooking in the kitchen, or shooting in her balcony-studio, you can probably find her curled up on the couch, lost in the pages of a good book.
Just made these for my family and they were a hit! The aroma of pumpkin spice filled the whole house. This recipe is definitely going into my favorites.
Wow, these scones are game changer! I love the perfect balance of spice and sweetness. It’s like autumn in every bite!
★★★★★
These scones are to die for! I’ve never tasted anything like it. The pumpkin spice really shines through. I used the recommended spiced glaze and it took them to the next level. Can’t wait to make it again.
★★★★★
This was my first time baking scones and I’m so glad I chose this recipe. They turned out amazing! The pumpkin spice flavor is just right – not too overpowering.
★★★★★
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. My kids absolutely loved it! It’s the perfect treat for a chilly fall afternoon.
I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect pumpkin spice scone recipe and I finally found it! The texture is just right and the glaze on top adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
★★★★★
I made these for a brunch with friends and everyone asked for the recipe. They couldn’t believe how good they were. The pumpkin spice flavor is spot on. Yes. Definitely pair with the spiced glazed recipe she lists towards the bottom.
★★★★★
These scones are incredible! The pumpkin spice flavor combined with the tender, flaky texture is pure perfection. I will definitely be making these again.
★★★★★
I couldn’t get them rise. I wonder if my baking powder is old? Maybe I’ll buy a can of new stuff and try again.
Tried them with honey. I thought they ok. Maybe I’ll try the spiced glaze that the others seem to have had good luck with.
★★★★
I can’t get enough of these scones. They’re the perfect pairing for my morning coffee. This recipe is a keeper. Definitely recommend the spiced glaze recipe too!
★★★★★
A bit dry for my liking. Maybe my oven was too hot? IDK.
★★★★
I love this recipe! The scones are soft, moist, and full of pumpkin spice goodness. They pair perfectly with a cup of coffee on a cool fall morning. USE THE SPICED GLAZING. It makes all the difference and turns the ok into something incredible.
★★★★★
I had a bit of trouble getting the consistency right for these pumpkin spice scones, but after a few tries, they came out quite tasty.
★★★★
Just baked these and they are delicious! The pumpkin spice flavor really shines through. This is the best scone recipe I’ve tried.
I had a bit of trouble getting the consistency right for these pumpkin spice scones, but after a few tries, they came out quite tasty.
Baked these for a weekend treat and they were a hit! The pumpkin spice flavor is warm and comforting. This will be my go-to scone recipe from now on. To echo the others, use the spiced glaze recipe that sorta accompanies it.
★★★★★
These scones are amazing! The pumpkin spice flavor is just right, and they’re so tender and flaky. This recipe is a definite keeper.
The flavor of these scones is great, but I struggled with the baking time. They came out a bit dry, so I’ll reduce the baking time next round.
Baked these for Thanksgiving and they were a hit! The pumpkin spice flavor is warm and comforting. This will be my go-to scone recipe from now on.
★★★★★
What a fantastic recipe! These pumpkin spice scones are the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. They were a huge hit at my book club.
★★★★★
These scones have a lovely flavor, but they were a little crumbly. Maybe I need to add a bit more butter or pumpkin puree next time.
★★★★
These scones are amazing! The pumpkin spice flavor is just right, and they’re so tender and flaky. This recipe is a definite keeper.
This recipe was a bit challenging for me as a beginner baker, but the end result was still pretty tasty. Looking forward to improving my skills!
My kitchen smells like a dream after baking these! The scones turned out perfect – fluffy, moist, and bursting with pumpkin spice flavor. A new family favorite!
★★★★★
These scones are the epitome of autumn! The pumpkin spice is not too overpowering and compliments the scone perfectly. Definitely a recipe to repeat.
★★★★★
Agreed! The perfect choice for the season, especially still warm from the oven!