Pecan Pumpkin Scones
‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin. And since one of my favorite anytime treats is scones, I decided to convert them to pecan pumpkin scones.
Are you intimidated by scones? Well, trust me, there is no need to be. I learned to make them from my daughter-who-doesn’t-cook, and I have never (EVER) produced a rock-scone. Sodden bread, yes, brittle pie crust, for sure, but never a bad scone.
Recently, I learned something interesting about scones–by accident. They don’t need all of the butter in traditional recipes to turn out light and flaky. When I made my cherry scones, the juicy cherries pushed me to reduce the butter. Still delicious—and it’s now something I try to do wherever possible.
My husband, who doesn’t usually like scones, eats up these pecan pumpkin scones—perhaps due to the fragrant fall spices or the less-sweet mix. If you like your scones obviously sweet, increase the brown sugar to ½ cup.
One thing that I should mention about all of my scone recipes—I top them with sanding sugar rather than glaze. While not quite as photogenic, it is still a pretty finish and still adds a pop of sweetness—without breaking the calorie/sugar bank. Trust me, you won’t miss the glaze. (I buy my sanding sugar at Michaels with a 40% off coupon).
Fall is lingering this year… In parts of southeast Wisconsin, we still haven’t had frost (unheard of!) and I am harvesting the last raspberries and picking ripe tomatoes. All the more reason for another Pecan Pumpkin Scone!


- 3 c white whole wheat flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 Tablespoon butter
- ¾ c pumpkin
- 2 extra large eggs
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (see note)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 2 T finely chopped candied ginger or mini cinnamon chips
- 1 Tablespoon sanding (coarse grain) sugar for decorating
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry tool (or your fingers), until butter pieces are tiny and flour-coated. Mixture will resemble crumbs but will still be a fairly floury.
- In a separate bowl, beat two eggs. Remove a teaspoon or two of egg and reserve. Add the remaining beaten egg, pumpkin, brown sugar and spices to the flour mixture and mix until just moistened. Add the chopped ginger & pecans and finish combining, being careful not to overmix. Add a teaspoon or two of liquid if needed
- Knead scone mixture on a floured surface a couple times, then pat together into two approximately 2 x 8 inch rectangles. Cut each rectangle into four 2 x 2 inch pieces, then cut each of those on a diagonal to make a total of 16 triangular scones.
- Transfer scones to a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Beat reserved teaspoons of egg with a teaspoon of water to make the egg wash. Brush each scone with the egg wash, and sprinkle with sanding (large crystal) sugar.
- Bake at 400 F until slightly golden and an inserted toothpick comes out dry, about 15 minutes.
- For a more noticeably sweet scone, increase the brown sugar to 1/2 cup.
- Pear Riesling Sorbet
- Triple Antioxidant Cabernet Blueberry Cranberry Sauce
it’s hard for me to get excited about american scones, but this is a pretty awesome combination of flavors. the thought of adding cinnamon chips makes me quite excited. 😉
It’s so hard to decide between the candied ginger, and the mini cinnamon chips! I guess that means making two batches, doesn’t it?
I like the way you think David!
Sadly, I couldn’t find cinnamon chips this morning at the grocery store, so I a just making the ginger version for the staff meeting tomorrow! Cinnamon chip version will happen soon, I am sure!
🙂
Your scones look perfect Inger, great combo!
aweee I love the color ! and the funny is I made scones too 🙂 🙂