Pumpkin spice scones (Starbucks Copycat)

Pumpkin Spice Scones (Starbucks Copycat)

Back in the old days, when my husband and I were DINKS, Starbucks was part of my regular work routine. Tall latte, pumpkin scone. I’d fork over four bucks + change and happily be on my way. The old days had some serious perks.

These days, my work uniform involves yoga pants (workout optional) and hooded sweatshirts (kid stains probable). Any coffee shop that doesn’t have a drive-thru option is dead to me.

Now I can make a good cup of coffee without setting foot outside my house. But man, it was hard to quit those pumpkin scones (which is unfortunate, as they pack a high calorie punch).

I don’t even know why I was so hooked on them. If a pumpkin married a brick and had a baby, that baby would be a Starbucks pumpkin scone. They are dense and heavy (and expensive). But I really like pumpkins and babies, so… I suppose it all makes sense?

Clearly there was only one solution: I needed to stop eating pumpkin scones! Kidding! I just needed to start making them at home.

I’ve tried several recipes over the years, and this one is my favorite. The scones are light and sweet, nice for a special breakfast or treat. I like to cut them small and dunk the tops in a glaze. To keep it simple, you can sprinkle some cinnamon on top. To keep it Starbucksy, you can drizzle the spiced glaze.

The trick to making light scones, as opposed to sweet bricks, is to handle the dough as little as possible. You don’t want your hot little hands to soften the butter and toughen the dough.

Just like with our Sweet Potato Biscuit recipe, I like to use a cheese grater to add the cold butter to the dry ingredients. It makes it easy to quickly combine the ingredients. Folding the dough over a few times before cutting the scones also helps create buttery layers.

Biscuits or scones can be cut and frozen unbaked. All you have to do is pop them, still frozen, on cookie sheets and bake as directed. It adds a few minutes to the baking time but will still give you a great shortcut to a delicious breakfast.

Keep this trick in mind as special events on your calendar approach! A little prep work makes hosting guests for breakfast or brunch so much easier.

Pumpkin Spice Scones (Starbucks Copycat)

Yield: 16 smaller scones

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ground ginger
6 T. cold butter
1/2 c. pumpkin puree (How to make pumpkin puree)
3 T. milk or half-and-half
1 egg

Powdered Sugar Glaze
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2-3 T. milk

Spiced Icing
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 T. milk
1/4 t. each ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves

1. To make the scones, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife or cheese grater, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together pumpkin, milk or half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. With floured hands, form the dough into a rough ball.
3. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface, folding it on top of itself and patting it out three times to create layers. Form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Use a large knife to slice the dough in half, then into fourths. Slice it in half along the length of the rectangle. Then slice diagonals to create small triangles.
4. Place scones on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 400-degrees for 10-12 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

TO MAKE THE GLAZE:

1. In a bowl, mix the powdered sugar and milk (add more or less, depending on how thin you want it) together until smooth.
2. When the scones are completely cool, dip the tops into the glaze. Flip over and let the glaze dry.

TO MAKE THE SPICED ICING:

1. Combine the powdered sugar, milk, and spices.
2. Using a whisk, drizzle the icing over each scone.

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Our favorite coffee press is the Aeropress Coffee and Espresso Maker (Amazon). I have owned mine for eight years and use it every day. It makes a great cup of coffee. It comes with 350 filters, but I got tired of messing with the paper filters. I have had the Able Brewing Stainless Steel Filter (Amazon) for a few years now. It works great!