Soft, fluffy, and buttery, these Pumpkin Scones with a simple glaze are a delicious fall treat. These delightful scones come together quickly and easily!
¼cupgranulated sugarplus more for sprinkling (50g)
1 ½teaspoonsbaking powder
1 ½teaspoonspumpkin pie spice
1 ½teaspoonsground cinnamon
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonbaking soda
½cuppumpkin purée(122g)
½cupheavy creamplus more for brushing
¼cuplight brown sugar(55g)
1egg
1 ½teaspoonsvanilla extract
For the Glaze:
1 ½cupspowdered sugar(180g)
2tablespoonsmilk
Optional Glaze:
¼teaspoonpumpkin pie spice
1tablespoonpumpkin purée
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
For the Scones:
Cut the butter into small cubes and freeze while continuing or for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, spices, salt, and baking soda.
In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée, cream, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
Toss the frozen butter in the flour mixture to coat the pieces. Using a pastry blender or by rubbing the pieces between your fingers, cut the butter into the flour until it is about the size of peas. Fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture until moistened and no large flour pockets remain.
Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface. Working with floured hands, pat the dough into an 8-inch square. Cut into quarters, and cut each quarter in half diagonally, creating 8 triangles. Transfer scones to the prepared baking sheet. For best results, freeze for 20 to 30 minutes.
Brush the tops lightly with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
Bake for 20 for softer scones and 25 minutes or until the edges and tops are golden brown for crisper, denser scones. Transfer to a wire rack and cool while making the glaze.
For the Glaze:
Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the milk until smooth. (For a thinner glaze, add 1 or 2 teaspoons more milk.)
For an optional spiced glaze, transfer about a third of the glaze into another bowl. Whisk in the pumpkin purée and pie spice.
Spread the plain glaze over the tops of the warm scones with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with the spiced glaze, if using. Let scones cool until glaze is set, about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
If you don’t want to glaze the baked pumpkin scones, sprinkle the cream-brushed scones with white or sparkling sugar before baking for extra sweetness and a crunchy top.
Make sure to measure the flour correctly. If you add too much flour, the dough becomes dry, and the scones won’t rise and become crumbly after baking.
The ideal way to measure flour is with a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
The butter must be cold. When the scones go into the oven, the pieces of butter will melt, leaving you with flaky laters.
Avoid over-working the dough. You don’t want gluten to form! The more you knead, the more gluten will form, and you’ll be left with chewy scones.
Flour the knife or bench scraper to help the dough from sticking when cut.
Press straight down with the cutter and don’t twist; twisting seals the edge and prevents the scones from rising properly.