Inspired by Starbucks’ famous pumpkin scones (only better, imho), these bronze beauties are packed with pumpkin flavor and lavishly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. The addition of molasses and pumpkin makes them more tender than your typical scones – almost like pumpkin bread in scone form. The spiced pumpkin glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness, as the scones themselves aren’t overly sweet, and really drives the pumpkin flavor home. Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients; it’s really just a lot of spices, and many of the ingredients are used twice – once in the scones and again in the glaze.

What you’ll need to make Pumpkin scones

If canned pumpkin isn’t available where you live, or you’d just prefer to use fresh, that’s not a problem. For baking, the most flavorful pumpkins are smaller than those typically associated with Jack-O-Lanterns. They’re usually in the 4 to 8-pound range and are referred to as sugar, cooking, or pie pumpkins. This detailed piece from King Arthur Flour provides guidance on how to convert a whole pumpkin into purée that can be used in this cake (or any of my other pumpkin recipes).

Many readers have asked if the spices in this recipe can be replaced with pumpkin pie spice. Although the mixture of spices in pumpkin pie spice is not an exact match (pumpkin pie spice sometimes includes allspice), it’s fine to use it here. Just replace the individual spices with an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice, so in this case, you’ll need 1 tablespoon for the scones and 1 teaspoon for the glaze.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To begin, combine the pumpkin, heavy cream, egg, molasses and vanilla in a medium bowl.

Whisk to combine and set aside.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse until evenly combined.

Add the chunks of cold butter.

Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized chunks of butter within. Those little chunks of butter are important and will render light and flaky scones.

Add the pumpkin mixture.

And pulse until the dough comes together. It will be sticky, and you should still be able to see some chunks of butter.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour.

Gently knead the dough into a smooth ball, then divide in half.

Form each half into 5-inch circles, about 3/4-inch thick.

Cut each circle into six wedges.

Place the scones on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden.

Let cool for about 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Meanwhile, make the glaze: combine the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin purée, water, and spices in a medium bowl.

Whisk until the glaze is smooth. It should be thick.

Spoon the glaze over top of the scones, letting it drip a bit down the sides.

Let sit for about 30 minutes for the glaze to set, then serve.

Note: This scone portion of this recipe is based on a popular copycat recipe for Starbucks’ pumpkin scones that’s all over the Internet, but I’ve changed the method and recipe a bit. The Starbucks’ version has two thin glazes: plain and pumpkin. This version has a single thick pumpkin glaze, which is easier to make and packs much more pumpkin flavor.