These high altitude pumpkin scones are tender and flavorful, with hints of vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and maple, drizzled with sweet cinnamon icing.
You might also love these recipes for cinnamon raisin scones, almond cream cheese scones, and easy biscuit dough cinnamon rolls.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Tender and Soft. Today’s maple pumpkin scones are based on my popular baking powder biscuits recipe, which are always so tender, soft and fluffy, and never dry.
Perfect Autumn Flavors. With the pumpkin, vanilla, brown sugar and spices, these delicious scones are everything you want on a cool fall day.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Flour. Use plain all purpose flour to give the scones structure and strength.
- Sugar. You’ll need light or dark brown sugar to give the scones a bit of sweetness, as well as powdered sugar for the icing.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent.
- Spices. You’ll need ground cinnamon and ginger, as well as salt to balance the sweetness, and vanilla and maple extracts for lots of flavor to complement the pumpkin.
- Butter. Unsalted butter adds richness, flavor and tenderness to the scones.
- Pumpkin. Canned pumpkin will give the scones a gorgeous color, as well as adds moisture.
- Milk. Moisture, to help bind the dough together.
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
- Cut the cold butter into slices or chunks, scatter it over the flour mixture, then use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the remaining chunks of butter are no larger than peas.
- Add the pumpkin, milk, vanilla and maple extracts, and stir into a crumbly, shaggy dough.
Cut and Chill the Scones
- Dump the dough out onto a clean work surface, and use your hands to finish bringing the dough together. Lightly flour the top of the dough and gently press it out to 1 inch thick.
- Use a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut rounds of dough, pressing the cutter straight down and lifting it back up, without twisting it. Gather up the scraps of dough, press it out again, and cut as many scones as you can. You should be able to cut around 10 scones.
- Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, and set the cut scones on the baking sheet, 1/2 – 1 inch apart. Set the pan of scones in the freezer to chill for 20 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 425F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake the chilled scones for about 20 minutes, until golden brown on top.
- Cool for five minutes, then drizzle with the icing.
Icing
- Combine all of the icing ingredients in a bowl, whisking until smooth.
- Drizzle the icing over the warm scones, and serve as soon as the icing sets. If you like, sprinkle the iced scones with a little cinnamon sugar for decoration.
Optional Add-ins
Pecans or Walnuts
Add about 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts for a nutty flavor and slight crunch.
Candied Ginger
A few tablespoons of sweet and spicy candied or crystallized ginger would be delicious in these pumpkin scones.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Cool leftover scones completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
I’ve used the imitation maple extract from my grocery store for years, and I don’t mind the flavor, but recently, I’ve been using this pure maple extract.
You Might Also Like
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High Altitude Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin Scones
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Pastry Cutter
Ingredients
Scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled (plus extra for rolling out the dough)
- ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup whole milk, cold
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp maple extract
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
- Cut the cold butter into slices or chunks, scatter it over the flour mixture, then use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the remaining chunks of butter are no larger than peas.
- Add the pumpkin, milk, vanilla and maple extracts, and stir into a crumbly, shaggy dough.
Cut and Chill the Scones
- Dump the dough out onto a clean work surface, and use your hands to finish bringing the dough together. Lightly flour the top of the dough and gently press it out to 1 inch thick.
- Use a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut rounds of dough, pressing the cutter straight down and lifting it back up, without twisting it. Gather up the scraps of dough, press it out again, and cut as many scones as you can. You should be able to cut around 10 scones.
- Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, and set the cut scones on the baking sheet, 1/2 – 1 inch apart. Set the pan of scones in the freezer to chill for 20 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 425F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake the chilled scones for about 20 minutes, until golden brown on top.
- Cool for five minutes, then drizzle with the icing.
Icing
- Combine all of the icing ingredients in a bowl, whisking until smooth.
- Drizzle the icing over the warm scones, and serve as soon as the icing sets. If you like, sprinkle the iced scones with a little cinnamon sugar for decoration.
These scones are perfect. Flavor is buttery and fragrant of just enough pumpkin and maple. Instead of cutting these out with cutters, I did the traditional triangle cut, because I was a bit strapped for time. I will be making these again, so I’ll use a cutter next time. Thanks for all your amazing recipes!