Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze

Pumpkin Scones
These scones are a family favorite, and might be what we wake up to this Christmas morning. They’re tender, flaky, with just the right amount of pumpkin and a shiny maple glaze. I like to cut them into triangles, but you can also use a biscuit cutter if you prefer, or cut them into squares.

“If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.” —Lucy Larcom

Scones Technique

I had been making scones the same way for years – an adaption of Ina Garten’s Strawberry Scones from her first cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa. However, I changed things up after stumbling upon a genius idea from Cook’s Illustrated. Their scone recipe included folding the dough over several times to create multiple flaky layers. I applied this technique to my tried and true recipe, and my perfect scone was born.

NOTES: Putting another baking sheet nestled directly underneath the one the scones are on helps keep the bottoms of the scones from browning too quickly before they fully bake. If you like the bottoms extra crisp, you can just use one pan.

Measuring Flour

Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. If I am posting a recipe from another cookbook, I will use whatever gram measure of flour used in that book, which is why you may see a few posts with a different cup measurement. 

Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high, which can result in very different outcomes when baking. I’ve found Gold Medal all-purpose unbleached flour to be the best option for many of my recipes; I use it in all the baked goods that don’t use yeast.

More Pumpkin Recipes:

• Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins with Streusel
• (Baked) Pumpkin Donuts

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Icing

Servings: 8 scones

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Tender, delicious scones made with pumpkin, and finished with a maple glaze.

Sarah Kieffer

5 from 20 votes

Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour*
• 1/3 cup (66 g) sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 12 tablespoons 1½ sticks; (170 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½-inch pieces

Maple Icing

• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 cup 113 g confectioners’ sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Stack two baking sheets on top of each other and line the top sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
• Add the butter to the dry ingredients and use a pastry cutter to cut it into the mixture until the flour-coated pieces are the size of peas. Add the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead until it comes together, 4 to 6 times, adding flour as necessary if the dough is sticky. Pat the dough gently into a small square and roll it into a 12-inch square (again, using flour as necessary). Fold the dough in thirds similar to a business letter. Fold the dough into thirds again, making a square. Transfer it to a floured sheet pan or plate and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Return the dough to the floured surface. Roll it into a 12-inch square and fold it business letter style. Place the dough seam side down and gently roll into a 12 by 4-inch rectangle. With a sharp knife (or bench scraper), cut the rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles, then cut each rectangle diagonally into 2 triangles. Transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheet.
• Brush the tops with a little heavy cream, making sure it doesn’t drip down the sides. Bake 18 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the tops and bottoms are golden brown.
• Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack and let the scones cool slightly. Top with the Maple Frosting.

For the Maple Icing

• In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.

Notes

*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. If I am posting a recipe from another cookbook, I will use whatever gram measure of flour used in that book, which is why you may see a few posts with a different cup measurement. 

Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high, which can result in very different outcomes when baking. I’ve found Gold Medal all-purpose unbleached flour to be the best option for many of my recipes; I use it in all the baked goods that don’t use yeast.