Easy Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting

These Easy Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect cozy treat for fall mornings or afternoon coffee breaks. Soft, tender, and full of warm pumpkin spice flavor, they come together quickly with simple ingredients. Topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, every bite tastes like a little piece of autumn comfort!

Not the right pumpkin recipe? Try my Spiced Pumpkin Bread recipe or my Bakery Style Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.

So after record high temps well into the 90's for the past couple of days, the struggle between the Winter Gods and the Summer Gods has taken a turn. Today it is 35 degrees cooler than it was 2 days ago. The winds are brisk and it is downright chilly out!! So yes, Fall has arrived. BAM!

Because it is feeling so very Fall-ish outside my house right now, I bring you Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting...and let me tell you...perfect!!

I've been playing around with a basic scone recipe I found on Allrecipes.

I have made Banana Scones, Blueberry Orange Buttermilk Scones with Orange Glaze (perhaps a post for another day), and today these delicious Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting. These scones are light, flaky and just a tad drier than a good buttermilk biscuit. If you have never enjoyed a scone, you really need to. Think sweet biscuit with flavors.

Some scone recipes produce hard and dry scones. This is NOT that recipe. These scones are somewhat moist thanks to the addition of canned pumpkin puree (but not too moist) with a dense biscuit like texture infused with the warm flavors of Fall.

Recipes made with canned pumpkin

Canned pumpkin is such a great ingredient for recipes. 

First off, most recipes call that call for canned pumpkin are referring to pure pumpkin puree. Don't confuse this with canned pumpkin pie filling, or your recipe that calls for canned pumpkin will not work.

Here are just a few reasons making a recipe with canned pumpkin works:

• Canned pumpkin is a healthy ingredient! Full of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and rich in fiber, canned pumpkin gives you a lot of nutrition in each serving. 
• Canned pumpkin is convenient and consistent. It's available year round, not only during pumpkin season. It's easy to use and measure. Using canned pumpkin in recipes eliminates the work of peeling, chopping, and roasting a raw pumpkin. 
• Canned pumpkin is versatile. It can be used in sweet recipes, like these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins or in savory recipes like pumpkin soup with canned pumpkin. 
• Canned pumpkin works as well as homemade pumpkin puree in most recipes! 
• You can freeze leftover canned pumpkin. Leftover canned pumpkin can be put into freezer containers and placed in the freezer for up to a year to use in future recipes. 
• And, let's not forget, canned pumpkin gives an unmistaken pumpkin flavor synonymous with the flavors of Fall to anything it's added to. 

Tips for making sure this pumpkin scone recipe works:

• Make sure your butter is COLD. I mean, you can even cut it up into chunks and stick it in the freezer for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Or keep a stick in the freezer and grate it right into the flour mixture. 
• Less is more. Mix and handle the dough as little and as gently as possible once the dry and wet ingredients are combined.
• When cutting the wedges, use a smooth edged knife (not serrated) and use a straight up and down movement to cut. DO not saw the pieces or they will not rise well.
• Make sure you oven is pre-heated to the correct temperature given in the recipe before you put your scones in to bake. This will allow maximum rise and help them be light and flaky.  

Original 2013 photo of Easy Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting

Substitutions and Variations

• Swap the golden raisins for chocolate chips or chopped pecans. I love the golden raisins in these, but I know many people are not raisin fans. (Nutrition information may change if you do either).
• Use a TBSP of pumpkin pie spice in place of the listed spices. 
• Replace the buttermilk with equal amounts of whole milk or yogurt. (Texture may change slightly)
• Instead of forming two discs with dough, press out into one flat piece and cut with biscuit cutters into 3" rounds, gather scraps and repeat until you've used all the dough. Place on baking sheet as directed in recipe card. You may need to scale back on bake time if you make them this way. 

YUM...these scones were great!!

These scones really "hit the spot" for breakfast today, still warm from the oven along side my warm cup of coffee. In fact, even as I write this article, my mouth is watering! They are even suitable for a snack or dessert! 

Wondering what to do with the rest of the canned pumpkin? Scoop onto plastic wrap or into a small container, and freeze. It'll be ready and waiting next time you want to make these scones or another pumpkin recipe.

pumpkin scones, pumpkin scones with cream cheese frosting, pumpkin recipes, scones made with pumpkin,

dessert, snack, breakfast

American

Yield: 8 (2 scones per serving)

Author: Renee Paj

Easy Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Soft, tender, and full of warm pumpkin spice flavor, easy pumpkin scones come together quickly with simple ingredients. Topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, every bite tastes like a little piece of autumn comfort!

Ingredients

For the scones

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
• pinch of cloves
• 6 TBSP COLD unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)

For the frosting

• 1 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1 TBSP softened butter (can be salted or unsalted)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 TBSP milk (if needed to thin to the right consistency)
• pinch of salt of using unsalted butter

Instructions

For the scones

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line large baking sheet with parchment OR a slipat liner.
2. In small bowl or large glass measure, combine the pumpkin, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
3. In food processor, add flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Pulse a few times to combine.
4. Add COLD butter and pulse until the butter is pea-sized (this can also be done by hand using a pastry blender or a fork in a large bowl).
5. Pour the flour-butter mixture into large bowl, make a well in the middle, and pour the pumpkin mixture into the center. Mix with wooden spoon just until combined. Add in the raisins, if using.
6. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times to combine. Divide dough in half. Shape into 2 discs about 1 inch thick and cut each disc like a pie, into 8 slices. Place slices on prepared baking sheet about 2" apart.
7. Bake in 425 degree oven for 12 -15 minutes. While scones are baking, make frosting. Remove to wire rack to cool.

For the frosting

1. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
3. Add milk, as needed, to achieve the consistency you need. Pipe or spread frosting on warm scones.

Notes

If you like bigger scones, you can omit dividing the dough in half and keep it as one big disc cut into portions of 8.

Sometimes I get lazy and just place the discs on the pan and cut into slices but I don't separate them. I bake then recut the slices once they come out of the oven and frost as directed.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

342

Fat (grams)

13 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

8 g

Carbs (grams)

52 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

51 g

Sugar (grams)

26 g

Protein (grams)

5 g

Sodium (milligrams)

313 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

55 mg

Nutritional Information provided is an estimate.

https://www.reneeskitchenadventures.com/2013/09/pumpkin-scones-with-cream-cheese-glaze.html

Copyright © 2013 Renee's Kitchen Adventures

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More pumpkin recipes you might enjoy

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Easy Pumpkin Spice Pecan Fudge

This recipe first appeared on Renee's Kitchen Adventures in September 2013 but has been updated with new images and a printable recipe card.