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Starbuck’s Pumpkin Scones
Cute, trendy coffee shops seem to be popping up all over the place… yet I am always drawn to the old standby- Starbucks. Maybe it’s the sheer number of SBux that have infested the planet. Maybe it’s their iced coffee or their Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Or maybe it’s their scones. Continuing my obsession with all-thing-Starbucks, I decided to feature the recipe for Starbuck’s Pumpkin Scones.
These taste just like the real deal, yet you’ll find that they’re much more tender and delicious than those you buy at the coffee shop. Here’s how you make them:
Dry ingredients are mixed with wet and then formed into a flattened rectangle on a greased and floured, parchment-lined cookie sheet. The dough will be wet. That’s okay. Just keep sprinkling flour on it until it is a little easier to handle. Your hands will get messy.
Cut the rectangle into thirds. Three equal pieces. It’s easiest to use a greased pizza cutter for this, but if you don’t own one then just use a greased, sharp knife instead.
Use your cutter to cut each square in half, on the diagonal. You’ll end up with 6 triangles.
Oh so carefully pull the scones apart so that there is a little bit of space between them. Again, the dough is sticky and your hands will get messy. If you mess up the shape while you’re doing this, just form it back together again. It’s going to bake and spread, so no big deal if it looks sloppy.
When they bake, they puff up and crash into each other. That’s okay, because…
…you’ll gently cut them and pull them apart again.
Here where things get crazy. You’re going to put two layers of glaze on these scones. The first layer is a base layer of plain glaze. It’s going to act as a barrier between the spiced glaze and the scone, giving the spiced glaze something to stick to.
Just give them all a once-over with the plain glaze, and then give it a few minutes to set.
Then you’ll brush on the spiced glaze. The good stuff. You can brush it on like I did, or you can get all fancy and drizzle it on in a squiggly back & forth motion. I didn’t have anyone to impress on my scone-making day, so I brushed.
And I was generous with my brushing. I let it drizzle down the sides, attempting to cover all available nooks and crannies.
And there it is. Ready for scones with your coffee. Or coffee with your scones. Or mid-day snack with milk. Or breakfast for dinner. They are tender and delicious, which is what a coffee shop scone usually isn’t. And I might mention that they freeze well too. Wrap each individually in foil and just pop them into your freezer. They defrost quickly in the microwave.
So I’ve shown you how to make a Pumpkin Spice Latte… and an Iced Coffee… and a Pumpkin Scone.
Now you’re all set to “coffee shop it” at home!
Starbuck's Pumpkin Scones
Yield: 6 scones
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 15 min
More tender and delicious than the original...
Ingredients:
SCONES:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup canned pure (unsweetened) pumpkin
3 tablespoons half and half cream
1 large egg
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubesPLAIN GLAZE:
1/2 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
1 tablespoon milk (any kind)SPICED ICING:
3/4 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
1 to 2 tablespoons milk (any kind)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of ground clovesDirections:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Give it a light dusting of flour on top of that.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (through ginger).
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half and egg.
4. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut butter into the dry ingredients. Continue cutting until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (You may also use a food processor for this step. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs).
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then form the dough into a ball. The dough will be wet, but if it seems super sticky... just go ahead and sprinkle a little more flour into the dough until it's easier to handle. Remember, you want it to be somewhat sticky, and that's okay- but you also don't want it to stick to the baking sheet. Pat out dough onto the lightly floured baking sheet and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle that is about 9-inches long and 3-inches wide. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal squares. Cut through the three squares diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Gently pull the triangles apart, leaving about 1/2-inch space between each one.
6. Bake 14 to 16 minutes on prepared baking sheet. Scones should begin to turn light brown.
7. While scones are cooling, prepare plain glaze by whisking ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth.
8. When scones are cool, use a knife to cut them apart and then pull them apart so that they are ready for glazing. Use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over the top of each scone.
9. As the white glaze firms up, prepare spiced icing by whisking the ingredients in another medium bowl until smooth. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone (or brush it on) and allow the icing to dry before serving.
Source: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from Top Secret Recipes)
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I'm Lori Lange, recipe developer, food writer and Mom. I'm sharing over 2,500 of my favorite recipes and theme menus with you. 
Roxanne — October 14, 2010 @ 11:33 AM
Oh my gosh!! These are better then Starbucks! I am an avid pumpkin scone eater from Starbucks, but I really am tired of the cost $$$$ at Starbucks. So I tried them and my daughters flipped! We even went to Starbucks and bought a scone and did a taste test; the results were hands down on this recipe! They are bigger and no preservatives!! Try them and you will be so surprised!! I will never waste another $2.00 on their scones again!! Thanks Recipegirl!!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga — October 27, 2011 @ 3:21 AM
Starbucks better move over, because they’ve got Lori hot on their trail with these. WOW! You outdid yourself..they look…soooooo good!
Between the pumpkin spice, the glaze, the recipe itself…magnificent!
Katrina — October 27, 2011 @ 3:58 AM
These sound out-of-this-world delicious! Can’t wait to try these perfect buns of love!
Jessica @ How Sweet — October 27, 2011 @ 4:54 AM
these totally have my mouth watering!
jenna — October 27, 2011 @ 6:37 AM
i love these! they go perfectly with a PSL!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts — October 27, 2011 @ 6:40 AM
I am not a coffee drinker, so I have never tried a Starbucks pumpkin scone. I have heard so much about them though, I feel like I am really missing out. Can’t wait to try this recipe – looks amazing!
Chris @ TheKeenanCookBook — October 27, 2011 @ 7:18 AM
These look decadent!
vanillasugarblog — October 27, 2011 @ 7:53 AM
ohh lori I love these. Those ones at Starbucks are just too dry and too sweet.
I’m so glad you made these. Need to give them a go.
food librarian — October 27, 2011 @ 8:51 AM
These look fantastic!!! Can’t wait to make these! – mary
Brenda — October 27, 2011 @ 9:06 AM
Love, love, love the pumpkin scones at Sbux…. Thank you for giving me the recipe so that I can make them out of season as well! They are going to make it into my scone rotation at my next tea party with my sorority! Thanks
EatLiveRun — October 27, 2011 @ 10:22 AM
Looks delicious—I adore those scones from Starbucks!!!
Jody — October 27, 2011 @ 10:51 AM
It is snowing here in NY, our first for this season. Think I will make these along with some Pumpkin Spice Coffee. Yum!
Rebecca — October 27, 2011 @ 3:12 PM
GAH!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I have always, always wanted to find a good recipe for these. This is the best!! (happy sigh)
Christina @ theblogentourage.com — October 27, 2011 @ 3:51 PM
YUM! I was just asking my daughter what we should make this weekend for a special Halloween treat. This is it!
Patty — October 27, 2011 @ 3:58 PM
I love their scones. I also love their pumpkin loaf but have not found a comparilble recipe, got one?
Lori Lange replied: — October 28th, 2011 @ 7:24 AM
I don’t know if it’s comparable to SBux Pumpkin Loaf since I haven’t had theirs, but I certainly have a favorite that we’ve enjoyed for years! http://www.recipegirl.com/2008/06/03/pumpkin-bread/
Courtney Dutton — October 27, 2011 @ 4:03 PM
This looks simply delectable. I’ve always wanted to know how to make the Starbucks Cinnamon Scone. Maybe you could try that next?!
I can’t wait to try this holiday-appropriate recipe!
danellesdish — October 27, 2011 @ 6:45 PM
These look awesome! I am in love with everything pumpkin right now. Thanks for sharing.
Liz W — October 27, 2011 @ 8:26 PM
I’ve been on a scone-making kick and these look perfect for my next round of baking — tomorrow morning! So looking forward to enjoying them soon!
Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen — October 27, 2011 @ 9:25 PM
WHOA! These have Thanksgiving breakfast written all over them. I bet they’d freeze up perfectly, too!
Betsy — October 28, 2011 @ 12:13 AM
These look so yummy! I will have to try them. I have never tried the ones at Starbucks due to the food not being covered and each time I visit there are always flies that are gathered on the food.
Bree — October 28, 2011 @ 9:40 AM
Funny I was thinking the same thing this morning at Starbucks–What is it about Starbucks that keeps me going back. Pumpkin spice lattes, of course, but I also just love the buzz in there–so much energy!
These scones look great!
Patty — October 28, 2011 @ 9:54 AM
Thanks I will try the loaf recipe today.
Carol — October 29, 2011 @ 11:54 AM
Tried these today, they were delicious! A hit for my whole family, ages 8 through 41!
Jody — October 29, 2011 @ 4:00 PM
I made these scones and Pumpkin Latte yesterday. One word…YUUUUMMM. Love the scones so much I am going to buy a scone pan and try some different flavors. The spiced glaze is soooo gooood. Thanks for these recipes.
Courtney — October 30, 2011 @ 7:43 AM
Oh yummm! You just gave me another reason to enjoy my coffee and scones at home!!
Cristal — October 30, 2011 @ 4:08 PM
Yum! These look great! Can I use bisquick in place of actual flour/baking powder? I dont really know if that would work haha. Ive only recently started baking chocolate chip scones but ive been dying to find a recipe for pumpkin scones!
Lori Lange replied: — October 30th, 2011 @ 8:45 PM
No, don’t use bisquick- just go w/ what the recipe calls for.
sharon Brown — October 31, 2011 @ 11:19 AM
I very much enjoy your site! I look forward to your recipes. I made the scones last night and just finished having coffee and a wonderful pumpkin scone. Thanks and keep on cooking and posting.
Ameirah — November 3, 2011 @ 11:36 AM
These look amazing, I was looking for new pumpkin ideas with all the leftover pureed pumpkin I have. I might skimp on the glaze though, not much of an icing fan.
Can’t wait!
Gisela — November 3, 2011 @ 4:19 PM
Great tip about the two layers of glaze!
Marlena — November 6, 2011 @ 12:48 AM
These are currently cooking in my oven but I wanted to offer my two-cents on the recipe…I followed it to the letter with ONE exception, I used from scratch pumpkin puree that I made myself and my dough was so sticky that I was adding flour for nearly 30 minutes…if I had to guess I probably needed to add an additional cup AT LEAST, so that I could shape and cut it…and it still stuck to the parchment paper as I was spacing them out…I’m hoping all the extra flour won’t dry them out or leave them flavorless.
Lori Lange replied: — November 6th, 2011 @ 5:34 AM
Hmmm, mine were sticky and I definitely had to keep adding sprinkles of flour as I was working with the dough… but not a whole cup. Let me know how they turn out w/ that extra flour!
Janet — November 6, 2011 @ 11:00 AM
They will rise better (as they look a little flat) if you also add 1/2 tsp. baking soda – then you can cut the salt to 1/4 tsp or less (at least two pinches).
Lori Lange replied: — November 6th, 2011 @ 12:49 PM
Thanks for the tip!
Lisa — November 6, 2011 @ 12:45 PM
I had the same gooey issue that Marlena had. But I didn’t add any more flour because I didn’t want my scones to taste flour-y. Instead I just scooped out the dough instead of cutting it into triangles. They took a little longer to cook in the oven, but besides that they turned out great!
Lori Lange replied: — November 6th, 2011 @ 12:50 PM
Me too- it’s a wet batter. I just worked the extra flour into it until it was manageable to work with.
Barb — November 7, 2011 @ 10:51 AM
I love Starbucks Pumpkin scones! And I definitely love this recipe! Thanks for sharing it!
Ashley — November 7, 2011 @ 2:48 PM
Hmmm…I have about half a can of pumpkin that I need to use up, and I have everything else on hand for this except the half & half. I wonder if it would be terrible to sub the 1% milk I have in the fridge…
Rosemary — November 9, 2011 @ 10:40 AM
I made these today. I’ve never had a Starbucks scone, so I’m not sure what they should taste like. I felt that mine came out tasting doughy. I didn’t have such a sticky batter as some people mentioned. almost as if there was too much flower in the batter, but I followed the recipe exactly. what consistency is a scone supposed to have? More like bread or like a biscotti?
Lori Lange replied: — November 9th, 2011 @ 10:42 AM
A scone usually (in coffee shops) comes out very dry, not-so-cakey. I guess the best way to describe it is like stale-ish cake (not hard like biscotti). This scone recipe should come out much more cakey than that.
Ashley — November 13, 2011 @ 8:41 AM
So I did make these yesterday, and the 1% milk worked out fine. These were even better than the ones at Starbucks! They were moist and delicious and my husband and I really loved them. Thanks so much for sharing! I posted my results with a link to your post over on my blog. I’ll be making these again for sure
Deb — November 13, 2011 @ 3:46 PM
These pumpkin scones brought rave reviews at breakfast this morning! I also added a bit of flour to manage the dough from bowl to oven. But I will certainly make this recipe again as the scones did not last till lunchtime!
Zoe — November 17, 2011 @ 11:03 PM
These were AWESOME!
I also did a gluten-free vegan version and they turned out amazing (substituted Bob’s Red Mill GF flour, 1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 1/4 cup warm water for the egg, and Earth Balance for the butter)…
Nancy Acosta — November 18, 2011 @ 9:14 AM
Hi Susie’s sister! I always make mine GF/dairy free and no one at work can tell the difference. I use whatever alternative milk I have, Bob’s Red Mill GF flour because it is easy, and add xanthan gum. I like Zoe’s flax idea; I was thinking of trying chia seeds instead of eggs in my next batch.
Lori Lange replied: — November 18th, 2011 @ 11:34 AM
You’ll have to try my GF Pumpkin Cornbread too! Just posted it!
Chung-Ah @ Damn Delicious — November 20, 2011 @ 11:58 PM
I just made these today and I died eating them!
Kelly — November 22, 2011 @ 8:00 PM
Made these this morning, they turned out great! The dough really was very very sticky, but that lead to incredibly moist scones. It took me a bit longer than 30 min though, probably 45 min prep, 15 minutes to cook, 15 minutes to cool and ten for frosting, so 1.5 hours.
Becky R — November 23, 2011 @ 4:36 AM
I need mine to be soy and dairy free. I’ve cooked with earth balance before( pie crust) and have been do disappointed. Do you know of a butter substitute that’s dairy and soy free that would work? I can’t wait to make these!
Lori Lange replied: — November 23rd, 2011 @ 3:51 PM
not sure…
Becky R — November 24, 2011 @ 6:30 AM
I made these using the earth balance butter substitute, no other options. I also used almond milk for the glaze, and mimiccreme for the cream substitute for a dairy and soy free desert! Amazing!
mamadrama — November 24, 2011 @ 8:34 PM
Wow! Googled for a similar recipe & stumbled in here. Looked good, so my 11 yr old and I whipped up a batch for Thanksgiving Brkfst this AM. They were super sticky, so we floured a lot. I was a little worried about that, but they turned out ridiculously yummy!!! So moist and just the right amount of sweet for us. Strbux can’t touch these babies. All the kids loved them as much as the adults. None of us could stop nibbling! Thanks for this one. It’s going in the keeper file! My tea kettle’s whistling. Off for a cup and another scone, while he kids are asleep- ha!
mamadrama — November 24, 2011 @ 8:38 PM
oop! forgot to comment that we used non-dairy creamer instead of half-n-half and it was TOTALLY fine. Richness was all in there!
ceejae — November 27, 2011 @ 11:55 AM
These are great. I made it exactly as the recipe states, with the addition of the suggested 1/2 tsp baking soda. They are in a whole different class then the ones at Starbucks. These are light and moist, the spices are wonderful. Mine rose more then the picture suggests. i cut the “middle” rectangle i to 4 triangles because my middle was a little too big. The “small” ones are even very large, when baking again I would do all the thirds into four pieces. The suggestion to drip the spice glaze looks lovely. Thanks for this recipe.
Amanda — November 27, 2011 @ 9:41 PM
These are amazing. I just made them for my neighbor (secret santa). Thank You so much for the wonder spot – on recipe.
Lita — December 7, 2011 @ 8:21 PM
I had leftover fresh pumpkin from Thanksgiving, so decided to surprise the family with some fresh pumpkin scones for breakfast. These were fabulous!!! I used Eggnog instead of half-n-half. Also used eggnog and powdered sugar for the icing. In 30 minutes I had an amazing breakfast treat for the family.
nancy — January 12, 2012 @ 8:50 AM
I love, love, love Starbucks pumpkin scones and I can’t believe they are not available everyday, outside of holidays! I am so thrilled to have this recipe!
YVRfoodie — January 12, 2012 @ 10:38 PM
I put the dry ingredients into my food processor and gave
it a couple of pulses then added the butter and pulsed until
it resembled crumbs, I then added the wet beaten mixture
and pulsed until it formed a loose ball. Turned the dough
onto a floured surfaced and shaped into a flattened round
about 1/2 inch thick and cut into 8 pie shaped pieces.
These more than doubled in height after baking about 16
minutes. This is a super fast, easy, moist and DELICIOUS
Scone!!!! I will be doubling the recipe tomorrow. Thanks Lori