When it’s pumpkin season, some of our other favorite recipes are Pumpkin Juice, Pumpkin Bundt Cake, and of course a classic Pumpkin Roll with cream cheese filling. At the law firm I worked for just out of law school, there was a secretary named Lena who loved to bake and made the most amazing scones ever. Once every couple of months or so, she would show up in the morning with dozens of scones to share with everybody, in at least 2 or 3 varieties. I fell in love with scones thanks to her amazing maple bacon scones, her bright and juicy lemon blueberry scones, and her chocolate chip scones. I’m going to have to recreate all of them since I left the firm 4 years ago to stay home with our girls and I miss her amazing creations! But possibly my favorite version ever are these copycat Starbucks pumpkin scones that show up each fall, usually at the same time as their pumpkin spice lattes.
Why this Recipe Works
These pumpkin scones are wonderfully sweet (in the best way) thanks to two different glazes that top the soft, pumpkin spiced scone beneath. Which is honestly good enough to stand on its own if you want to avoid the sugar rush for healthy pumpkin scones (or healthier, at least). The pumpkin keeps the scones from being dry, which is a common problem for people who aren’t sold on scones yet. The flavor of the pumpkin is wonderfully showcased in both the scone and the glaze. This is a great recipe for fall bake sales, breakfasts, brunches, or as an afternoon snack.
Ingredient Notes
Pumpkin puree: Make sure you are getting regular pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Or you can make homemade pumpkin pie puree yourself and use that instead! Molasses: Use original (sometimes labeled unsulphured or “regular”) molasses. It adds a wonderful depth of flavor and sweetness. Spices: You are welcome to use pumpkin pie spice, but I usually just use the spices in my pantry rather than buy an extra spice blend that I will only use a few times a year.
How to Make Pumpkin Scones
Recipe Tips
Use cold butter. Keeping your butter cold creates little pockets and layers when the scones bake that give them their distinctive texture. Just leave your butter in the fridge right until you are ready to add it to your dough, and then handle it as little as possible so it doesn’t start to warm up. Don’t overmix the dough. You really just need the scone dough to start coming together when you stir the liquids into your dry ingredients. But it’s totally normal for there to be streaks of flour when you turn your dough onto the surface you plan to use to shape your scones. Just gently knead or press it together 3 or 4 times once you turn it out of the bowl and it will hold together. Use parchment paper or keep your surface floured. Make sure you are patting out the dough on parchment paper or a lightly floured surface so that the pumpkin scones don’t start sticking as you are shaping them. If they do, then just add more flour to the surface or your hands. I also found that it helps to flour the pastry cutter or knife I use to cut the scones into triangles.
More Scone Recipes
Triple Chocolate Scones Blackberry Scones Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
This post was originally published in November, 2016. The photos and content were updated in November, 2021.
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