Pumpkin Cream Scones are soft, tender pastries with just the right amount of pumpkin spice…and they’re so much better than the ones you get at your favorite coffee store!
The minute September arrives there’s a rush on everything pumpkin spice.
And I’m usually the first one in line! My favorite way to get my pumpkin spice fix is in these moist scones. It’s funny because I hear from people all the time who tell me they don’t like scones. I think it’s because they’ve never had a good one. And the big chain coffee stores aren’t doing their reputation any favors either. Mass produced scones can be dry as cardboard, whereas a great scone will be tender and flaky….not quite a cake, not like a cookie or a muffin, more like a biscuit than anything else….but a really really great biscuit. These Pumpkin Cream Scones are crumbly and moist at the same time, and full of perfectly spiced pumpkin flavor. There is no more elegant or delicious breakfast or coffee break out there.
The best way to make scones may surprise you…
I like to whiz mine up in my food processor! The processor does a quick even job of incorporating the butter into the flour mixture. Making scone dough is a satisfying, tactile experience, even when you use a food processor for the first part, like I do. You’ll hand form the rustic lump of dough into a rough disk and then cleave it into six hefty triangles. I chill the dough for an hour or two before slicing and baking, which encourages them to bake up nice and pleasantly plump instead of spreading out.

The glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness without being over the top
but I do make sure to get a good thick layer on each one I’m pretty sure the frosting part is an American ‘improvement’ on the classic scone ๐ These are amazing warm from the oven, but the great thing is you can zap them for a few seconds in the microwave to get that hot-out-of-the-oven experience even after they’ve cooled.
Pumpkin and scones were made for each other— the puree adds wonderful color and flavor, as well as extra moisture to this one. Whether you’re one of those crazy pumpkin people (raising hand here) or just a regular sort who appreciates a touch of the orange squash every fall to get you in the mood, I think you’ll love these.
I have so many fabulous scones on the blog I hardly know where to begin ~ how about you start with these…
Pumpkin Cream Scones
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour, fluff the flour before scooping and leveling
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
butter
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, 1 stick cut in pieces
wet ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, not pie filling
- approximately 1/3 cup heavy cream
glaze
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- cream for thinning
Instructions
- Set the oven to 400F
- I use a food processor to make scones, but you can also do it by hand. Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl of the processor and pulse to combine.
- Drop in the pieces of butter and pulse about 20 times, to incorporate the butter. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
- In a one cup glass measuring cup with a pouring spout, beat the egg well. Add the pumpkin and mix well. Then add enough cream to measure about 3/4 cup. Mix well.
- Pour the liquid into the processor while pulsing. Stop when you have finished pouring and the dough is just combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and bring together with your hands. Form into a plump 7-8 inch disk. Carefully cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
- Slice the chilled dough into 6 scones, and place on a lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between scones. Bake for about 15 minutes until the scones are firm and baked through. Look closely at the cracks in the top of the scone, if they look wet inside, bake a little longer. Don't over bake.
- Cool the scones on a rack and then glaze.
- To make the glaze, mix the confectioner's sugar with the vanilla with enough cream to create a thick glaze. Drizzle in the cream slowly while you whisk or stir. Add more sugar if it gets too thin, and more cream if it seems too thick. You can spoon the glaze over the cooled scones, or dunk them in head first, which is what I do. Be sure to get a nice thick coating on each one.
Notes
Iโm about to bake these scones, but I was wondering why they are chilled before baking? Iโve never done that and Iโm wondering if this is to create the American style scone (as opposed to the fluffy British scone). Thanks for such great recipes.
I usually refrigerate my scone dough while I clean up my ‘mess’. This allows the butter to chill, and I find that that helps the scones rise and become flaky as they bake.