Sweet, fluffy, and flavorful pumpkin scones topped with maple glaze.
Forget everything you know about dry, hockey-puck scones. These pumpkin scones are what happens when a pastry chef takes a classic fall treat and makes it actually crave-worthy!
After nearly two decades in professional kitchens, I’ve made thousands of scones. The secret? Pumpkin puree transforms the traditional dense scone into something magnificently tender while keeping those gorgeous flaky layers intact. Then we finish with a glossy maple glaze that tastes like autumn in a drizzle.
Why This Recipe Works: Cold butter creates steam pockets for flaky layers. Pumpkin adds moisture without making them cakey. The maple glaze? That’s the finishing touch that makes these irresistible.
What Makes These Pumpkin Scones Different
Most pumpkin scone recipes treat pumpkin like an afterthought. Not here. The pumpkin puree serves a dual purpose: 1) it keeps the interior impossibly moist and 2) its natural sweetness balances the warm spice blend perfectly.
The texture you’ll get: Golden, crispy exterior with a tender, layered crumb inside. Think Scottish scone meets American breakfast pastry – the best of both worlds.
No butter required: These are so flavorful and moist, you won’t need clotted cream or jam (though I won’t stop you).
The texture of these scones are similar to traditional Scottish scones. It has a golden crust with a soft, delicate interior.
When the butter is property cut throughout the dough, you will be able to see distinct layering like the image above.
Ingredients and Tools
- All-Purpose Flour: For best results, measure flour using a kitchen scale. Otherwise, use the spoon and level method. For consistency, I test and create all my recipes using King Arthur Baking Company all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder: Use aluminum-free, double-acting
- Salt: Recipe uses Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. Diamond Crystal is less salty and dissolves quickly compared to Morton Kosher salt.
- Warm Spices: mixture of ground cinnamon and store-bought pumpkin pie spice mix.
- Sugar: Use your choice of granulated sugar or brown sugar.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter. If you choose to use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe. Butter should be VERY COLD.
- Pumpkin Puree: Make sure to use 100% pure pumpkin canned puree. Stay away from “pumpkin pie mix” which has other ingredients added in.
- Pastry Blender: Also known as a dough blender, this tool easily cuts butter or shortening into dry flour mixture. You may use fork tines in place.
- Whisk: Use any whisk (balloon, dough, French, ball) to stir together all the dry ingredients. Or, use a fork.
- Ruler: Of course you can estimate and eye-ball the measurements. However, if you want equal sized portions, use a ruler! I recommend one of these clear acrylic rulers.
- Knife: Use a long sharp knife, ideally a chef’s knife (8-inches in length) to score and slice the scone wedges. Alternatively, use a bench scraper.
How to Make Perfect Pumpkin Scones (Step-by-Step)
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar in a large bowl. This distributes the leavening evenly – crucial for uniform rise.
- Cut in cold butter. Add butter cubes straight from the freezer (or fridge). Using your pastry blender, cut butter into the flour.
- Don’t workover it. Butter-flour mixture should resemble coarse, pebbly sand with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Those visible butter pieces translate to flaky layers.
- Add pumpkin.
- Fold to combine. Fold in pumpkin puree just until the flour is hydrated. The dough will look shaggy and “messy” – that’s exactly right.
- Gently Shape. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and press together.
Maple Glaze
Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, salt, maple extract, maple syrup, and hot water until smooth. Add more hot water (1 tsp at a time) until you reach a thick but pourable consistency.
Corn syrup keeps the glaze shiny and prevents unwanted crystallization. You may omit this ingredient, if you’d like.
Maple extract is a key ingredient! Boyajian maple flavor is highly recommended. It adds a strong maple flavor with just a few drops! McCormick maple extract is another great option that is available at most supermarket chains.
The Science Behind Flaky Scones
Why cold butter matters: When cold butter hits a hot oven, it creates steam pockets between layers of dough. That’s what gives you those gorgeous flaky sheets you see when you break a scone open. Room temperature butter would just melt into the flour, leaving you with a dense, uniform (boring) texture.
Why minimal handling is key: Gluten develops when you mix flour with liquid. A little gluten = tender scones. Too much gluten = tough scones. Handle the dough just enough to bring it together, then stop.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Room temperature: Store in an airtight container up to 3 days. The glaze stays glossy and set.
Reheating dilemma: Unfortunately, glazed scones don’t reheat well – the glaze melts into a sticky situation. Your best bet? Enjoy them fresh or freeze them unglazed. Or, try these unglazed pecan pumpkin scones that can be reheated with ease!
Freezing dough: Shape scones, freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 3-5 minutes to bake time. Glaze after baking and cooling. Keeps frozen up to 2 months.
Common Questions
Canned pumpkin is actually better here. It has consistent moisture content and smoother texture. Fresh pumpkin can be watery and fibrous.
It amplifies the maple flavor significantly. Without it, you’ll have a sweet vanilla glaze. The extract is worth it.
Three possible reasons. 1)Your butter was too warm. Next time, freeze those butter cubes and work quickly. 2)Ensure your baking powder is fresh (test it: add ½ tsp to hot water – it should bubble immediately). Or, 3) you used fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned pumpkin.
More Scone Recipes
Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze
Ingredients
Pumpkin Scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, (260 g)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt, or kosher salt*
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar, (70 g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (113 g), cut into small cubes, very cold
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree, (155 g)
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream, , for brushing
- turbinado sugar,, for sprinkling
Maple Glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar, (227 g) unsifted
- ½ Tbsp light corn syrup, (10 g)
- pinch fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp maple extract, or more to taste
- 2 Tbsp dark maple syrup, (40 g)
- 2 Tbsp hot water,, or more depending on desired thickness
Instructions
Pumpkin Scones:
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar.
- Add chilled butter. Cut into dry mixture using a pastry bender (or fork or your fingers) until mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add pumpkin puree and fold to combine until add the dry ingredients have been hydrated.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into a circle about ½-inch thick. Using a sharp knife (or a bench scraper) cut the circle into 8 equal sized wedges.
- Transfer slices to prepared sheet tray. Brush each scone with a little heavy cream and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown in color. Let cool on sheet tray for about 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool to room temperature before adding glaze.
Maple Glaze:
- Whisk together confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, salt, maple extract, maple syrup and hot water. Mix together until smooth.*Add additional hot water, about 1 teaspoon at a time until desired thickness is achieved.
- Drizzle glaze over cooled scones. Let sit for 15-20 minutes to allow glaze to set.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Pumpkins have taken over my kitchen too!! These scones look amazing – that glaze is so pretty, and looks delicious! Can’t wait to see your new site!
Thanks Cate! I’m slowly working on fixing little things but my mini site makeover it now up! check my homepage :)
I can just smell them baking!
Yum!
they look yummy!
These scones look marvelous with the glaze!
Thanks Angie! I couldn’t resist making the glaze orange!