If you like this recipe, you will also love my pumpkin ebook with 25 Pumpkin Recipe That Aren’t Pie and 1 That Is!
The only time it’s good to be flaky is when you’re a scone. Wait, I should say that biscuits are definitely allowed to be flaky, too. If you haven’t seen my small batch biscuits recipe, you need to see that too!
How to make scones, the rule book:
First of all, a proper scone is made with all cream and a small amount of butter. It should puff up and out in the oven, and crack in a few places, too. While it’s flaky on the outside, the inside of a scone, should be soft and muffin-y. I don’t make the rules for scones, friends, I just know how to make them the best way possible. My small-batch pumpkin scones recipe makes 4 scones. It’s perfect for a weekday morning when you want a quick breakfast treat. The scone dough is made all in one bowl, and then shaped and cut right on the baking pan. They bake in less than 20 minutes, which gives you plenty of time to clean up the bowls and make the pumpkin spice glaze.
Pumpkin Scones Recipe Adaptations:
Because pumpkin is a very wet ingredient, I had to make a few adjustments to this recipe.
Reduce the butter and omit the egg yolk. Add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. The moisture of the pumpkin replaced the egg yolk. Remember to use a big pan so the scones have room to breathe.
As a result of these changes, these scones are the BEST. When I made my lemon scones for two recipe, you guys freaked because they’re light and flaky, just the way they should be! I’m happy to report that the pumpkin scones are just as light and flaky.
Can you see how much these guys puffed up in the oven? The cracked portion and the crispy bit on the top is my absolute FAVORITE. If you want great scones, don’t use one of those scone pans! Scones need plenty of room to puff up in the oven, and they should have plenty of room around them while they bake. These pumpkin scones in the photo were pushed together for the photo; bake them spaced apart, please. This is my quarter sheet pan, and it has plenty of room to space out 4 scones.
Pumpkin Scones Recipe Ingredients
Flour. One and a quarter cup of all-purpose flour. Sugar. Scones are not overly sweet like muffins, so this recipe only needs ¼ cup of white granulated sugar. Salt. Baking Soda. Baking Powder. Pumpkin Spice. Two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice blend. Butter. Two tablespoons of very cold unsalted butter, diced. Pumpkin. One-quarter cup of canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. This is replacing some of the butter in our scones, and making these scones slightly lighter on calories, plus full of pumpkin flavor. Heavy Cream. You can use heavy whipping cream or regular heavy cream (also called double cream). You need ⅓ cup for the dough and a small splash for making the frosting. Powdered Sugar. To make a pumpkin spice glaze for these pumpkin scones, mix together ⅓ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and a splash of cream until it comes together into a pourable glaze.
Finally, I want to share my recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice that really makes all of my pumpkin desserts sing. Homemade pumpkin spice recipe:
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon ground allspice scant ½ teaspoon of finely ground black pepper
Yes, black pepper is the key here! If you don’t have all the ingredients in your pantry to make it, you can also buy pumpkin spice in a jar. Plus, I’m always struggling to use up my spices before they lose their flavor.
How to make Pumpkin Scones
How to serve a Pumpkin Scone
Pumpkin scones are weekend food for me with a pumpkin spice latte. The scones are much less sweet than a traditional chocolate pumpkin muffin or slice of pumpkin bread, which is why I serve it with a sweet latte!
Storing Pumpkin Spice Scones
These scones are great at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 additional day. It’s a small batch recipes, so you shouldn’t have too many leftovers!
So are you ready to start baking? I’m going to hand this recipe over to you, friends, and then let you comment about their deliciousness. There’s only so many times I can tell you how sweet, flaky, fluffy, tender, spicy and delicious these pumpkin scones are before you think I’m crazy!
If you make these pumpkin scones, let me know on Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you never miss a recipe!
Quarter Sheet Pan