Pumpkin Crumb Cake Scones
These tender pumpkin crumb cake scones are a perfectly spiced pumpkin scone with a brown sugar crumb topping and vanilla icing. Warmly spiced, these pumpkin scones make for a cozy and homey fall morning.
Best Pumpkin Crumb Scones
If there’s one thing about me you can be certain of, it’s that I’m a bit of a scone snob. Some of my all time favorite fall scone recipes (including these crumb cake pumpkin scones) are these Cranberry Orange Scones, these Lemon Rosemary Scones, and these Maple Cream Scones.
As a self-proclaimed scone expert (based on my infinite taste testing and market research I’ve done since I was little 😜), I have very strict requirements for my scones.
Which I’m going to leave you in suspense briefly, because I talk about those rules just down below and no one wants to read them twice.
But let me tell you, if you love the pumpkin spice season, these perfectly spiced pumpkin scones with streusel are sure to be a total family favorite.
Soft and tender, made with real pumpkin purée, and full of pumpkin pie spices.
My Three Perfect Scone Requirements:
- They must be tender and flaky. I’m talking flaky like a biscuit and tender like a muffin. Scones can often be dry, and I make sure that the texture of my scones are nothing but perfect.
- They must be flavorful, because otherwise, what’s the point?
- And they must have a glaze or topping of some sort. No naked scones on my watch.
These Pumpkin Crumb Cake Scones? Perfectly tender and moist. Packed with pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavor. And they have a brown sugar crumble and a glaze.
Eat your heart out.
Ingredients:
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder and Salt
- Cinnamon, Ginger, Allspice, Cloves, and Nutmeg
- Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Buttermilk
- Egg
- Pumpkin Puree
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar
- Heavy Cream
How To Make These Crumb Cake Pumpkin Scones From Scratch:
- Crumb Topping: Mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Cut in the cold and cubed butter until well combined. Once well combined, use your hands or a fork to break into smaller crumb pieces (it should have the texture of wet sand). Set aside.
- Scone Dough: Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl (or the bowl of a standing mixer). Using the paddle attachment (if using a stand mixer) or a fork or pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients and work it into the dough until it resembles coarse crumbs. Then, Add in the egg, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined.
- Assembly: On a lightly floured surface, turn the pumpkin scone dough out and pat into a disc shape. Top with the crumb topping and gently press the topping into the pumpkin scone dough so it sticks. Cut into 8 triangles and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake until golden brown.
- Icing: Whisk powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla together. Drizzle over the cooled scones. Once the glaze has set, serve the scones.
Storage Tips and Make Ahead Tips:
Once the scones have baked and cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. At room temperature, leftovers will last 1-2 days, while in the fridge, they should last about 3-4 days.
If you want to make pumpkin scones ahead of time, make the dough all the way to the point of cutting into triangles. Place the unbaked scones on parchment paper in an airtight container and freeze. You can bake from frozen—you’ll just need to add a few extra minutes to the overall bake time.
Other Breakfast Spiced Pumpkin Recipes To Make Next:
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes
- Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Rolls
- Cream Cheese Swirled Pumpkin Bread
- Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Crumb Cake Bread
Final Pumpkin Crumb Cake Scones Tips:
- Cold Butter: I cannot stress this enough: In order to have flaky pumpkin scones, you need that butter ice cold. It makes the flaky and buttery layers for perfect scones.
- Pumpkin Spice: I like using my own blend of spices, but you can sub with pumpkin pie spice if you want. I’d use 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
- Glaze: You can definitely omit the vanilla icing if you want to. It really is sweet enough with the brown sugar crumb, but I’m a sucker for a glaze.
- Don’t Over Mix: If you over mix the scone dough, it might get a little gummy and won’t have that fluffy and flaky texture. As soon as the dough comes together, stop mixing and turn it out onto a floured surface (it’s okay if there are some dry pieces—as you pat the dough into a disc, you’ll pat those pieces right in).
Pumpkin Crumb Cake Scones
Ingredients
Crumb Topping:
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Scone Dough:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/3-1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream (or milk)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Crumb Cake Topping
- In a small bowl, mix cinnamon, flour, and brown sugar together. Add in the butter. Using a fork or your hands, work the butter into the dough until it is completely combined. The consistency should look a bit like wet sand. Pinch and press the mixture into crumbs making the crumbs as big or small as you would like (I like to do a variety of sizes). Set aside.
Pumpkin Scones
- In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and all spices together.
- Add in the cold butter. Using a fork or pastry cutter work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can also do this with a standing mixer and the paddle attachment.
- Next, add in the egg, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and buttermilk. Start with 1/3 cup buttermilk. If the dough is too try, add in the remaining buttermilk, one Tbsp at a time.
- Once the scone dough has come together, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a disc/circle, about 1/2” thick.
- Press the crumb cake topping on top of the pumpkin dough, gently pressing it into the dough so it stick.
- Cut in 8 triangles and place onto your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before adding the icing.
Vanilla Icing:
- In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy cream together. If the mixture is too thick, add in a bit more heavy cream. If the icing feels too thin, add in a little more powdered sugar.
- Drizzle the icing over the warm scones and allow the glaze to set before serving.
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Meet Michelle
I’m a self-taught baker who truly believes it’s impossible to be upset when eating dessert. It’s my life’s goal to bake everyone happy!
If I’m not baking, I’m probably reading a good book with a cup a coffee in hand.
Welcome! I’m glad you’re here!
