Delicious and light pumpkin scones, that only need 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree. Served with an easy cranberry butter.
Not only are these pumpkin scones easy and delicious, but they are a great to use up a bit of leftover pumpkin puree, needing just 1/2 cup of pumpkin!
I make these pumpkin scones every year after I make my pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. The amount of pumpkin left-over in the can from my pies is exactly the amount needed for these scones.
And of course, I have to say a word about the cranberry butter. It’s simply dried cranberries, that are plumped in hot water, then mixed with butter and a touch of icing sugar. Sweet, tangy and creamy, this butter is a treat with the pumpkin scones, so you don’t want to skip it!
Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe …
For the Pumpkin Scones:
Brown sugar – light or dark brown sugar will work here. As the dark brown sugar contains molasses, the resulting scones will be darker and richer in molasses flavour. I used light brown sugar in the scones shown here.
Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg – or replace them all with the same amount of Pumpkin Pie Spice
Butter – salted or unsalted
Milk – any fat level will work here, though I prefer at least 2% or higher. I haven’t tested these with non-dairy milks, but I feel like it should work here. Non-dairy milk may affect the hydration, so you may need a touch more flour in the dough.
Canned pumpkin puree – not pie filling.
You will also need – Egg (1), all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
For the Cranberry Butter – dried cranberries, boiling water, softened butter and icing/confectioners’ sugar.
Cook’s Notes
- When mixing the scones, you want the finished dough to be not crumbly, but not super sticky. If it seems dry in the bowl, add a splash more milk. If the dough seems really sticky (like it might stick to the parchment paper), add a touch more flour. If it seems sticky after patting it into a round on the baking sheet, pop it into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before cutting into wedges.
- If you’d like to add some nuts into the mix, stir 2 Tbsp of finely chopped pecans into the batter.
- The cranberry butter is optional, but highly recommended! it’s such a lovely flavour combination. The cranberry butter will keep in the fridge for several days.
- Store scones in an air-tight container at room temperature. They should keep well for a couple of days.
- These scones will freeze well.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Scones with Cranberry Butter
Ingredients
Pumpkin Scones:
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt, reduce to 1/8 tsp if using salted butter
- 1/2 butter, cold and cut into 8 pieces
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
Cranberry Butter:
- 2 Tbsp dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 3 Tbsp icing/confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree and egg. Set aside.
- Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture and using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut or rub the butter into the flour until it is reduced to pea-sized pieces. Set aside briefly.
- Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and using a wooden spoon, stir until all the flour is moistened and there isn't any loose flour at the bottom. *The mixture should not be crumbly, but should not be super sticky, either. Add a bit more flour or milk to adjust, as needed.
- Remove the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Pat the dough into a 7 1/2 to 8-inch circle. If the dough seems sticky after patting it into a round on the baking sheet, pop it into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before cutting into wedges. Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into 8 even wedges. Using a spatula, carefully pull apart the wedges so there is space between each one. They will rise considerably, so leave an inch at least between the wedges.
- Bake the scones in preheated oven until well set and starting to turn golden, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven, then remove to a cooling rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar to serve, if you like.
- For the cranberry butter: Add the dried cranberries to a bowl with the boiling water and let stand 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Add to a clean bowl, together with the softened butter and icing/confectioners' sugar. Stir to combine well. Serve softened alongside the scones. Left-over cranberry butter can be covered and refrigerated for several days.
Notes
More Scone Recipes You Might Like …
These scones very fantastic! Nice and light, yet didn’t crumble as soon as I sliced them. The cranberry butter was a great addition too – so glad I decided to try it. 😀
So glad you tried them and enjoyed them, Susan :) Thanks!
I’ve been craving everything pumpkin lately and NEED to make this pumpkin scones soon. I know I’ll have 1/2 cup of puree leftover at some point. This is brilliant paired with that cranberry butter. What a terrific combo! Pinned :)
Thanks Tricia :)
These scones are perfect for a
Holiday brunch and that cranberry butter sounds like a delicious spread for all sorts of breakfast pastries and muffins!
Thanks Leanne and yes, lots of ways you could use that cranberry butter :)
These scones sound absolutely delicious on their own, but paired with cranberry butter? Yes please! Love to have one right about now, fresh out of the oven. They look delicious :)
Thanks so much, Dawn :)