Pumpkin Scones with Dried Cranberries (and Baking Tips)
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Fall is here and it’s time for pumpkin spice everything, so why not pumpkin scones? This recipe is easy to follow, and the dried cranberries add a nice bit of color and texture to compliment the flaky scones.
I’ve been making up regular batches of pumpkin fruit leather, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pancakes. I even made some pumpkin spice kombucha. (I know, it sounds a little crazy, but initial taste test was pretty good.)
Scones always struck me as a little bit “mysterious”, because we certainly never had them when I was growing up. Some of the recipes I’ve seen were more than a little fussy. Not this one.
Tips for Baking Your Pumpkin Scones
The most important tip for successful pumpkin scones is keeping everything nicely chilled.
Chilled dough means less sticking, less mess and a lighter, flakier product. Use your butter straight out of the fridge or freezer. Don’t bring it up to room temperature before baking.
Don’t overwork the dough. Treat these like biscuits, not bread.
Strain your pumpkin purée, or use winter squash.
If your pumpkin puree is too wet, it will make your scone dough soggy. You want the dough to have a crumbly texture, like biscuits.
Sometimes pumpkin puree is a little watery, especially homemade puree. To maximize the pumpkin flavor, strain your puree. Put a coffee filter or flour sack towel in the bottom of a strainer, and let the puree drain while you prep the rest of the recipe.
Most winter squash is drier than pumpkin, and my choice for baking. See “How to Cook Pumpkin or Winter Squash – 3 Easy Methods” for tips on making homemade puree.
I prefer to use air bake pans for this type of baking, because they are more forgiving than standard pans. You’re less likely to end up with scorched bottoms. (Who wants a scorched bottom?)
Note – This recipe does not work as well with gluten free flour blends, at least not so far as I’ve found. The scones tend to be heavier, even with careful handling.
The photos in the post were made with gluten free flour, and the scones didn’t puff as much as they normally would.
Pumpkin Scones Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 tablespoon COLD butter (do not soften)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Note: You may substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice of your choice for the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger.
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare baking sheet by greasing well with lard, or lining with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, salt, and spices. Cut butter into flour using a pastry cutter or a food processor. Blend until it resembles a course meal with chunks of butter no larger than pea sized.
Add dried cranberries if you are using them. Place bowl in fridge or freezer while you prepare the liquids.
In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla.
Combine liquids mixture with flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until just blended.
Finish kneading with your hands until mixture forms a ball. If your dough is getting warm at this point, stick it in the fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough out into a rough circle, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut it like a pie into 8 pieces.
I like to use my scraper/chopper for cutting dough. The scraper makes it easy to move the scones to the baking sheet, if they do get a little sticky.
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See the little bits of butter still intact in the dough? That’s what you’re looking for. Those will melt during baking and give you moisture and little, fluffy air pockets.
Place pieces on the baking sheet so that they are not touching with about an inch between them. I like to alternate them top to bottom on the pan.
Bake scones for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. They should be light golden brown on the bottom, the tops will darken as they cool.
Cool on a wire rack.
Icing
Cinnamon Icing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all ingredients together and drizzle over scones.
Alternatively, you can make a coconut oil glaze like the one Jenny at Nourished Kitchen used on her sprouted grain doughnuts.
Coconut Oil Glaze
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil, melted
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Honey
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla or Cinnamon
I like to arrange the scones in an alternating pattern and just drizzle across the entire line. The boys are more than happy to clean up any drips.
Print Friendly Recipe
PrintPumpkin Scones
This recipe is easy to follow, and the dried cranberries add a nice bit of color and texture to compliment the flaky scones.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 tablespoon COLD butter (do not soften)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Icing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Coconut Oil Glaze
- 1/2 cup Coconut Oil, melted
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Honey
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla or Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare baking sheet by greasing well with lard, or lining with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, salt, and spices. Cut butter into flour using a pastry blender or food processor, until it resembles a course meal with chunks of butter no larger than pea sized.
- Add dried cranberries if you are using them. Place bowl in fridge or freezer while you prepare the liquids.
- In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla.
- Combine liquids mixture with flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until just blended. Finish kneading with your hands until mixture forms a ball. If your dough is getting warm at this point, stick it in the fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to shape the scones.
- On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough out into a rough circle, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut it like a pie into 8 pieces.
- Place pieces on the baking sheet so that they are not touching with about an inch between them.
- Bake scones for about 12-15 minutes at 425 degrees. They should be light brown on the bottom, the tops will darken as they cool. Cool on a wire rack.
- For icing or glaze, mix all ingredients together and drizzle over scones.
And there you have it – easy pumpkin scones. I like to serve these up with a warm drink like tea or coffee, even eggnog.
I hope you give these a try and share the recipe if you’ve enjoyed it. What are use favorite ways to use pumpkin and squash?
More Pumpkin Recipes
We have over 100 recipes on the site, all listed by category on the Recipes and Kitchen Tips index page.
I love baking with pumpkin and cranberries, so they feature prominently in many of our seasonal recipes.
Some pumpkin favorites:
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- How to Make Pumpkin Wine
- Pumpkin Spice Waffles with Maple Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Some cranberry favorites:
Originally posted in 2011, last updated in 2020.