These Pumpkin Pecan Scones are the perfect trifecta of fall flavors. The ubiquitous pumpkin is heightened by the crunch of nutty pecans and sweet maple glaze. You'll never want another pumpkin scone after trying these.
(This recipe was originally published in December 2013, but was updated with new photos and content in 2022).
These are the best pumpkin scones ever! They're incredibly fragrant from an intense mixture of seasonal spices and are studded with crunchy bites of pecan. The final flourish is a sweet maple-infused glaze, which is the perfect accent for these fall flavored pumpkin scones.
The combination of pumpkin, warm fall spices, pecans, and maple result in the most epic (yet easy to make) pumpkin scones. They're perfect with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning, afternoon, or even as an after-dinner sweet.
These pumpkin pecan scones feature an utterly tender crumb with a mild sweetness. The glaze really adds a bit of a sugar rush whereas the scones themselves are fairly restrained sugar-wise.
Ingredient notes
- Pumpkin Puree: Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling (which contains additional ingredients). Canned pumpkin puree works perfectly here, but if you have your own homemade pumpkin puree, by all means use it.
- Pecans: You'll need to roughly chop your pecans for these pumpkin scones. If you have the foresight, toast your pecans first to bring out more flavor!
- Maple Syrup: Use pure (real) maple syrup for the glaze. I know it's a small amount, but you can't compare the flavor of real maple syrup and fake maple syrup (which is basically maple-flavored corn syrup).
How to make it
Preheat the oven to 400°F and set the rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
Add cold butter cubes to the flour mixture (PHOTO 1) and work the butter into the flour mixture, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse pea or dime-size crumbs (PHOTO 2).
Add the pecans and toss well.
Whisk together pumpkin puree, an egg, milk, and vanilla extract (PHOTOS 3-4).
Add it to the flour mixture and mix until just combined (PHOTOS 5-6).
Scrape dough onto a generously floured large wooden cutting board or work surface. The dough may be sticky, so take extra care flouring your hands and the sides and top of the dough as well.
Divide the dough in half and pat each portion into a ¾-to-1-inch thick circle (PHOTO 7). Use a bench/dough scraper or knife to cut 6 wedges (like a pizza) from each round (PHOTO 8).
Flip each cut scone over and place upside down on the parchment lined baking sheet, spacing a couple inches apart.
Lightly brush on top of the pumpkin scones with a little milk or heavy cream.
Bake scones for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly golden on top. Remove from the oven and allow the scones to cool on the pan while you prepare the glaze.
Stir together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and maple syrup until smooth. When scones are cool, drizzle the glaze over the tops.
Allow the glaze to set briefly and then serve the pumpkin scones at room temperature.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
If your kitchen is warm or the dough seems extra sticky/soft, stick the bowl of dough into the fridge or even the freezer for a few minutes so the butter can firm back up a bit. This will make it easier to pat out the dough and cut the pumpkin scones.
You can transfer the cooled scones to a wire rack set over a parchment paper lined sheet pan before drizzling the maple glaze, but that's just more dishes to wash. I think drizzling the glaze while they're still on the pan works just fine. That's how I glaze all my scones. Once the glaze is mostly set on top, I carefully transfer them to a serving platter or storage container (in a single layer) and let the glaze finish setting.
These, like other scones, have the best texture the day they are baked. After day 1 the pecans are not quite as crunchy, the scones' edges soften, and the glaze starts to absorb a bit.
You can prep and cut your pumpkin scones in advance without baking. Simply arrange the cut triangles of dough in a single layer (or carefully stacked between layers of parchment) in an airtight container. Refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to 1 month. Bake from a refrigerated or frozen state (brush with milk first) and just add a few extra minutes baking time if needed.
You can cut each dough round into 8 wedges instead of 6 to yield 16 smaller scones if you'd like.
Other recipes you may like
- Buttermilk Pumpkin Spice Waffles
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie
- Disneyland Pumpkin Beignets
- Pumpkin Juice (from Harry Potter)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Pumpkin Pecan Scones with Maple Glaze
Ingredients
Scones:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 ounces cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch pieces
- ¾ cup roughly chopped pecans
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 to 4 tablespoons milk, buttermilk, or heavy cream plus more for brushing
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Maple Glaze:
- ⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 4 teaspoons pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and set the rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Add cold butter cubes to the flour mixture and work the butter into the flour mixture, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse pea or dime-size crumbs. Be careful not to overwork the mixture or the butter will soften too much and the resulting scones will not be flaky. Add the pecans and toss well.
- Whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, 2 tablespoons of milk, and the vanilla extract. Add it to the flour mixture and mix until just combined, kneading lightly (but don’t overwork it). Add more milk if needed to create a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Scrape dough onto a generously floured large wooden cutting board or work surface. The dough may be sticky, so take extra care flouring your hands and the sides and top of the dough as well. Divide the dough in half and pat each portion into a ¾-to-1-inch thick circle. Don’t overwork the dough, as you want the butter inside to stay as cold as possible until the scones head into the oven.
- Use a bench/dough scraper or knife to cut 6 wedges (like a pizza) from each round. Flip each cut scone over and place upside down on the parchment lined baking sheet (the bottoms are flatter and will look prettier as the tops of the scones), spacing a couple inches apart.
- Lightly brush on top of the scones (but not the sides) with a little heavy cream, buttermilk, or milk. Bake scones for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly golden on top. Remove from the oven and allow the scones to cool on the pan while you prepare the glaze.
- Stir together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and maple syrup until smooth. If the glaze is too thin, add a sprinkle more confectioners’ sugar. Too thick, add a drizzle of milk. When scones are cool, drizzle the glaze over the tops. Allow the glaze to set briefly and then serve the scones at room temperature.
Notes
- Alternatively, cut each round into 8 pieces instead to yield 16 smaller scones.
- If your kitchen is warm or the dough seems extra sticky/soft, stick the bowl of dough into the fridge or even the freezer for a few minutes so the butter can firm back up a bit. This will make it easier to pat out the dough and cut the pumpkin scones.
- You can prep and cut your pumpkin scones in advance without baking. Simply arrange the cut triangles of dough in a single layer (or carefully stacked between layers of parchment) in an airtight container. Refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to 1 month. Bake from a refrigerated or frozen state (brush with milk first) and just add a few extra minutes baking time if needed.
- is recipe uses kosher salt (aka cooking salt, kitchen salt, coarse salt outside of the US). If you are using table salt, definitely scale down the salt as that is a saltier type of salt! The type of salt will make a big difference in how salty your food tastes, so keep that in mind.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Michelle
These came out super fluffy and delicious!
Carla
I love scones and these turned out very well. Followed the recipe as told, no adjustments needed.