Classic Pumpkin Scones (with Brown Butter Glaze)

Perfectly spiced and sweet, buttery, soft and delicious, these Classic Pumpkin Scones are the perfect celebration of Fall! Can be made ahead of time, and frozen for later too. 

An easy, foolproof recipe for soft pumpkin scones.

And just like that, summer gave way to fall. The weather in Ottawa has been pretty moody this week, sunny and hot one day, and then cool and autumnal the next.

But you know what comes with Fall right? Brace yourselves for pumpkin this and pumpkin that, everywhere! From pumpkin spice lattes and creamers to pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, and of course these soft, buttery, Classic Pumpkin Scones! 🙂

I made these pumpkin scones last year, but never got around to publishing it. But here they are at last. While I had perfected this recipe for a while, this time I gave them an upgrade with a delicious brown butter glaze.

Why you should make these classic pumpkin scones

• This recipe is so easy, and makes foolproof, soft pumpkin scones every time.
• These pumpkin scones are tall, soft and buttery. The perfect scones. 🙂
• Great pumpkin flavor, (with cinnamon and nutmeg too!).
• A great recipe to make for and with kids.
• Can make these scones ahead of time and freeze for later.
• They can be baked from frozen, whenever you crave a delicious, soft pumpkin scone!

This really is a foolproof pumpkin scones recipe, and I’m going show you all the ins and outs. But the recipe is so easy anyway, even a novice baker could nail it, every time.

In addition to the classic pumpkin scones recipe, I’m also giving you tips in this post on how to adapt this recipe to make other seasonal scones variations such as, 

• Chocolate chip pumpkin scones,
• Pumpkin spice latte scones (coffee pumpkin scones),
• Pecan pumpkin scones (or walnut pumpkin scones),
• Pumpkin and feta scones (a savory scone recipe).

These classic pumpkin scones are only lightly sweetened, so that they can be eaten any time of the day. We definitely prefer them for breakfast though.

So here’s how to make perfect classic pumpkin scones

First, have all the ingredients measured and ready to go. The butter and milk MUST be chilled, but chilling other ingredients are optional. If it’s a hot day, it’s better to have all the ingredients chilled for best results.

Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes, OR freeze the butter and then grate. If the butter is in cubes, you will need to rub the butter into the flour to create flour/butter crumbs. If the butter is frozen and then grated, then you only need to toss it in the flour.

Mix all the dry ingredients together so that they are well-combined. Add the cubed butter into the dry ingredients, and cut the butter into the flour. The butter should resemble coarse bread crumbs, with some butter being hazelnut-sized. If you grated the butter, then you just need to toss the butter in the flour.

Stir the pumpkin and milk together until smooth, and add it to the pumpkin scone flour mix in two additions. After adding half of the pumpkin-milk mix, stir it into the flour using a fork. Repeat with the second addition. This will create clumps of pumpkin, butter and flour with lots of dry flour spots. But not to worry! The dough will come together next.

Tip all of the dough out onto a parchment paper. Lightly bring the dough together to form a rough dough slab on the parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper over, so that the dough slab also folds over itself. Then gently pat it down. Repeat, to fold the dough over again. The dough should come together as you do this.

If the dough is too wet and sticky, lightly dust the surface with flour. Repeat the gentle flattening and folding over of the dough another 2 – 4 times. Take care to be gentle with the dough and use the parchment paper to fold and pat down the dough.

You’ll end up with a dough that’s soft and a little sticky. Pat this down to a rectangle of about 6 x 9 inches.

Next, using a floured cookie cutter, cut out rounds from the dough. You should be able to get 6.

With the leftover dough, gently bring it together and flatten it to make a cohesive dough. Fold the dough over itself, and gently flatten it again (using the parchment paper). Flatten this to about a 6 x 4 to 5 inch rectangle (same height as the cut scones). Now cut 3 scones out of this dough.

Finally, repeat this process again with the remaining dough, and cut out 2 more scones, and repeat one last time to cut the last scone.

You should end up with 12 round pumpkin scones. 

Easy method to cut scones

Wedge scones – After folding the dough to form a layered dough, shape it into a circle that’s about 7 inches in width. Cut the circle into 8 wedges, to get 8 large scones.

Square scones – Instead of a circle, shape the dough into a 7 inch square. Cut the square to get 12 small scones, or 9 medium scones.

Then place the cut scones on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and let ’em chill for at least 30 minutes before baking. I like to keep them in the freezer, so that I can freeze them if I don’t want to bake them on the same day. Plus you can bake these scones from frozen too, so it’s easier to simply freeze them right away.

Baking the scones

Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Bake these classic pumpkin scones in the preheated oven, after glazing them with a little milk OR sprinkling them with some raw sugar.

• For small scones (12) – bake for about 15 – 20 minutes (20 minutes if you’re baking from frozen).
• Medium scones (9 – 10) – baking time will still be similar, maybe a few minutes extra.
• For large scones (8) – bake for about 20 – 25 minutes.

Once the pumpkin scones are baked, top them with the brown butter glaze to let the glaze get absorbed by the scones, OR let them cool down first before glazing, so that you can keep the glaze from melting.

How to make pumpkin scone variations

Chocolate chip pumpkin scones – Add 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chip cookies, or 1/2 cup of finely chopped chocolate (about 1/2 cm pieces) to the flour mixture before you add the pumpkin/dairy mix.

Pumpkin spice scones – Dissolve 2 tsp instant coffee granules in the dairy, before stirring in the pumpkin puree. The scones will be a little less sweet because of the coffee, so you could increase the sugar content by about 2 tbsp.

Pecan pumpkin scones – Use brown sugar instead of white sugar, and add 3/4 cup of chopped pecans to the flour mixture before adding the pumpkin/dairy mix.

Pumpkin feta scones – Reduce the sugar to 1 tbsp. Add 1 1/2 tsp chopped thyme (fresh), and gently stir in 4 oz of feta, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces, before adding the pumpkin/dairy mix. Brush the freshly baked scones with salted brown butter.

Can I make gluten free pumpkin scones? 

Yes you can make this recipe gluten free. I trust Bob’s red mill 1:1 gluten free flour for any substitutions because it gives the best results for baked goods. Alternatively, you can use any trusted brand of 1:1 gluten free flour. I would also reduce the amount of half and half to 1/2 cup. The texture will be different of course, but they’ll still be delicious.

Can I make vegan pumpkin scones? 

I haven’t tried to make this recipe vegan before, but you can use a plant-based butter instead of regular butter. But remember plant-based butter is softer than regular butter, so freeze it for a few minutes so that it’s firmer than usual.

Also, use a creamier plant-based milk along with the pumpkin puree. Like coconut milk or cashew milk.

Tips to make the best soft pumpkin scones

Start with chilled butter. Better yet, start with all chilled ingredients. Chilled butter will create flaky layers in your scones. And to make sure that the butter doesn’t melt into the dough, keep all the other ingredients chilled too. This is especially important if the weather is warm.

Do not over handle the dough. For buttery and soft pumpkin scones, you want to make sure you don’t develop the gluten in the flour. The more you handle or knead the dough, the more gluten you develop. This will result in chewy scones.

Use the parchment paper to gently fold over the dough. This will help create layers in the dough that will give your0 scones that characteristic tall, layered look as they bake.

Make sure the cookie cutter or knife that you’re using is sharp when cutting out scones. Flour the knife or cookie cutter lightly to make sure it doesn’t stick to the dough. Push the cookie cutter straight down into the dough, and avoid twisting the cutter. Clean cuts also help the scones rise tall as they bake.

Want flakier scones? Reduce the dairy to 1/2 cup. The wetter the dough, the softer the scones. So if  you add less liquid, the dough will be drier, and you end up with more distinct layering in your scones.

Refrigerate or freeze the scones before baking. The chilled butter chunks will melt and evaporate as the scones bake, resulting in tall, flaky, soft scones.

Can I make these scones ahead of time?

Absolutely! This classic pumpkin scones recipe is fantastic to make ahead.  They can be frozen and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Simply arrange the scones on a lined baking tray, then cover with plastic wrap. Place the covered tray in the freezer for about 1 hour, or until they are frozen solid.

Then transfer the scones into a sealable freezer bag or container, and keep in the freezer until needed.

Then when you’re ready to bake them scones, arrange the scones on a parchment paper-lined baking tray, and bake in the preheated oven until they are tall, buttery, and golden brown on top.

How can I store leftover scones?

Leftovers only keep for about 1 day. These pumpkin scones taste best the day they are baked. If you do have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. They taste stale afterwards.

Another idea is to crumble the scones and toast them in a pan. These crumbles are PERFECT to top fruit crumbles or parfaits!

Serving suggestions for these scones

These classic pumpkin scones are great just the way they are, with the brown butter glaze on top. But if you’re wanting to serve them for breakfast or tea, they are perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. You could even make a batch of this pumpkin spice coffee creamer to go with your coffee!

Another great way to serve these scones is to top them with some whipped cream or creme fraiche.

Or a drizzle of maple syrup on top.

Perfectly spiced, perfectly sweet, buttery, soft and delicious, these classic pumpkin scones are a delight no matter how you enjoy ’em!

If you love scones & biscuits, then you will love,

Classic Cream Scones (A great starting point to make flaky scones)

Egg Stuffed Breakfast Biscuits

Whole Wheat Orange Scones