Pumpkin Spice Scones with Maple Icing
If October had a signature bake, I think this would be it: pumpkin scones with maple icing. Buttery, tender, and gently spiced, with a sweet maple drizzle over the top. Just the thing to enjoy with a cup of coffee on a cool fall morning.
This October, we get five Saturdays. What a gift. I’m hoping to leave a little margin for apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and slow mornings with something homemade coming out of the oven. We don’t have to fill every weekend to enjoy the season. Sometimes a cozy kitchen and someone to share breakfast with are plenty.
These scones start with my usual buttery base, with a few adjustments for the pumpkin. The pumpkin adds moisture, so the dough needs much less cream than my regular scones. A little pumpkin pie spice brings that familiar fall flavor without overwhelming the pumpkin or the maple icing.
A few tips before you bake
Keep the butter cold. You want a mixture of pea-sized butter pieces and smaller crumbs when you cut it into the flour.
Go slowly with extra cream. The dough may look shaggy at first. Add more cream only if dry flour remains, one teaspoon at a time. It should hold together without feeling wet.
Use a gentle hand. Bring the dough together just enough to shape and cut it. Avoid kneading it like bread dough.
Don’t skip the chill. Give the wedges 20–30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking to help the butter stay cold and the scones hold their shape.
Let them cool before icing. This helps the maple icing stay on top instead of melting into the warm scones.
Pumpkin Scones with Maple Icing
Makes 8 scones
Scones
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
½ cup pumpkin purée
1 large egg
2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus a little more if needed
Extra cream and coarse sugar for topping, optional
Maple icing
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Heat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Cut in the cold butter until you have a mix of pea-sized pieces and smaller crumbs.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, egg, and 2 tablespoons cream. Stir into the dry ingredients just until a shaggy dough forms. If dry flour remains at the bottom of the bowl, add cream 1 teaspoon at a time. The dough should hold together without feeling wet.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, gently bring it together, and pat into a circle about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges and arrange on the prepared baking sheet with space between them.
Refrigerate the wedges for 20 minutes. Just before baking, brush with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
Bake for 8 mins at 425, then turn the oven down to 400 and bake another 10–12 minutes, until risen and set in the center. Transfer to a rack and cool completely before icing.
Stir together the butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and salt. If you want the frosting more drizzleable, add a little cream or milk. Spread or drizzle over the cooled scones.
Recipe notes
Use plain pumpkin purée, rather than pumpkin pie filling. The filling already contains sugar and spices.
The 1½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice keeps the flavor gentle. Pumpkin makes these scones softer than my fruit versions, so a short chill and a light hand with extra cream help preserve those crisp edges.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and enjoy a little taste of fall. There’s room for joy in a simple morning, too.
