Pumpkin Scones with White Chocolate Drizzle

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Soft and tender pumpkin scones are easy to make at home. Leave unadorned or drizzle with an easy white chocolate ganache.

Back when I first posted this recipe in 2009, there weren’t very many pumpkin scone recipes out there.

Now it seems like you can’t walk out your door in the fall without being hit in the face with some sort of pumpkin-based food or drink!

Not that I’m complaining — I’ve been a fan of pumpkin foods for ever since I can remember.

Pumpkin scones are a treat I love to make. Just like with blueberry scones or carrot cake scones, they’re actually quite easy to mix up, and are a nice change from muffins.

My pumpkin scones are wonderfully tender and just lightly sweet. The white chocolate ganache adds a buttery vanilla finish that you’ll love!

Ingredients for pumpkin scones

You’ll need:

Flour – I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. You can swap whole wheat flour for up to half of the all-purpose.

To make this recipe gluten free, use your favorite gluten-free all-purpose blend. I like Pamela’s for baking.

Brown sugar – I like the deeper flavor of brown sugar along with pumpkin. You can use dark brown sugar for a more robust taste, if you like.

Pumpkin pie spice – Use your favorite pumpkin pie spice blend. Or, swap in a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.

Baking powder and baking soda – This recipe uses a bit of both for a tender scone.

Salt – A little salt enhances the other flavors. If you are using salted butter, omit the added salt.

Butter – I generally use unsalted butter for baking. Make sure to use cold butter, not room temperature, so it can be cut into the dry ingredients.

Heavy cream – Instead of milk, this recipe uses cream for an extra tender scone. 

You can use milk if you prefer, but make sure to reduce it to ? cup, since it is less thick than cream.

Pumpkin purée – Use homemade pumpkin puree or canned. You’ll only need ½ cup; the rest can be saved in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 week.

Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract if you can!

White chocolate chips – To make the easy ganache for topping, use white chocolate chips. Ghirardelli is my favorite brand for chocolate chips.

How to make this recipe

Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or reusable baking mat. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup extra easy.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Cut the butter into 8 pieces, then use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture. 

You don’t want to fully cut in the butter until sandy; keep some of the pieces larger. If you use a food processor to cut in the butter, only pulse a few times to mix.

In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, 1/2 cup of the cream, and vanilla until smooth.

Add the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and mix to bring dough together. I start with a spatula and then use my hands to bring it all together. No dry bits should remain but you don’t want to over-knead it.

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and pat into a circle about 1/2-inch tall. 

Cut the dough into 8 wedges. You can separate the wedges or leave the circle intact for baking.

Bake the scones for 15-18 minutes, until risen and golden brown.

Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool.

To make the ganache, pour the white chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 50% power for 1 minute, then remove and stir.

Heat in additional 30 second increments at 50% power, stirring between, until just about melted.

Stir to melt completely, then stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons cream. The mixture might seem like it is seizing up, but keep stirring and it should smooth out. 

You can pour the ganache on the scones immediately, or let it cool slightly to thicken, but make sure it is still pourable.

Drizzle or spread the ganache onto the scones as desired. The scones can be eaten immediately, or let cool completely until ganache is set.

How to shape scones

There are many different ways to shape scones depending on your preferences.

I’ve made this particular recipe both with a round biscuit cutter, and with cutting into wedges.

Wedges can be separated or simply cut but kept together. Scones that are cut but not separated will maintain a more tender texture and often rise better.

However, if you after a more perfect finished edge and like a bit of crunch on all sides, cut away!

Recipe suggestions

Instead of making the ganache, you can mix the white chocolate chips into the scone batter.

Add sweet-tart flavor by mixing in dried cranberries.

Glaze with sweet biscuit icing or cream cheese icing instead of the ganache.

If you don’t want to add a glaze, brush the tops of the scones with a beaten egg before baking. A sprinkling of coarse sparkling sugar will add a lovely finish and a little crunch!

Storage tips

These pumpkin scones are best enjoyed the same day you bake them, but they will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 days.

Don’t want to eat them all so soon? You can store scones in the freezer!

Freeze the scones before or after baking. If freezing before baking, arrange on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until solid, about 2 hours. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months for best quality.

Bake directly from frozen, adding 5-10 minutes as needed to baking time.

To freeze baked scones, let the scones cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container or bag. Scones can be warmed from frozen in the microwave or toaster oven.

More pumpkin recipes you’ll love

Because this recipe only uses 1/2 cup of pumpkin, you’ll probably have some extra to use!

Try my chocolate pumpkin bundt cake or pumpkin muffins with pepitas for more baked treats.

Another great breakfast option is pumpkin baked oatmeal.

Or, make a bowl of my pumpkin cream cheese dip, perfect for snacking on with apples and graham crackers.

To go savory, make a batch of pumpkin turkey chili. The subtle sweetness of the pumpkin is great with chili spices.

If you’ve loved the Starbucks pumpkin scone, give this recipe a try!