Embrace the flavors of fall with these tender pumpkin chocolate chip scones. Whether pairing them with your morning coffee or sharing at brunch, these scones offer a delightful blend of sweetness and seasonal spice in every bite!
Recipe Science
- Pumpkin increases the moisture in the dough, giving the scones a softer, more bread-like interior while still achieving crisp edges.
- The mixing method for scones is called the “biscuit” method because it uses solid fat to create a texture similar to biscuits.
- As the butter melts during baking, it forms pockets of air and fat, resulting in a light, flaky, and layered scone.
Jump To a Section
Featured Comment 8
“This recipe is excellent. I doubled it so I could freeze half.”—Carrie
Why It Works
Pumpkin scones with chocolate chips are the perfect way to embrace fall flavors. It all starts with keeping the butter cold to achieve a tender and flaky texture. When the butter melts in the oven, it creates steam pockets in the dough, which gives the scones their signature light and airy texture. The combination of pumpkin puree and milk adds moisture and subtle sweetness.
Adding chocolate chips to the dough creates a beautiful contrast with the mild, earthy pumpkin flavor. Since pumpkin has a neutral taste, I rely on warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice to enhance the flavor, making each bite feel like a cozy autumn treat. The semi-sweet chocolate balances the spiced pumpkin perfectly, giving a rich, melty texture that complements the soft, crumbly scone.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pumpkin: These pumpkin scones can be made using homemade pumpkin puree or picking up a can from the market. Libby’s is my top pick if you’re going the store-bought route. This simple pantry staple can be used for sweet and savory pumpkin recipes and packs nutrients like vitamin K and beta-carotene.
- Butter: Cold butter creates a light and tender texture for the scones.
- Spices: The scone base is flavored with warm winter spices, such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Salt helps enhance the spices.
- Sweetener: Granulated sugar lightly sweetens the scones and adds a delightful crunch on the surface and edges.
- Leavening Agents: Baking powder and eggs help to give the dough a tall rise when baked.
- Flour: All-purpose flour contains 10 to 13% protein, giving the baked good structure.
- Milk: Whole milk adds richness and hydrates the flour to make a cohesive dough.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extra boosts the sweet baked notes of the scones.
- Chocolate: Semi-sweet chocolate chips complement the natural sweetness of the pumpkin.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This pumpkin scones recipe is easy to customize! Try these tasty options:
- Pumpkin Swaps: Make homemade pumpkin puree instead of canned pumpkin puree. Avoid pumpkin pie filling as it already contains sweeteners and spices.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: If you have homemade pumpkin pie spice or store-bought on hand, substitute 2 teaspoons.
- Chocolate: Butterscotch, semi-sweet, or white chocolate chips.
- Add Nuts: Chopped nuts like pecans, almonds, or walnuts.
- Add Fruit: Dried fruit like raisins and cranberries add sweetness and chew.
- Add a Glaze: Combine 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk, and a splash of vanilla to make a glaze. Alternatively, try my sugar cookie icing for a shiny glaze.
- Add Heavy Cream: Use heavy whipping cream instead of milk for a more decadent scone dough.
How to Make Pumpkin Scones
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Position the oven rack in the center to ensure even baking, then preheat to 400°F (204ºC). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Step 2: Combine Dry Ingredients
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. This helps evenly distribute the leavening agents and spices, ensuring a uniform rise and balanced flavor in your pumpkin scones.
Step 3: Add the Butter and Chocolate
Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture. Cut the butter into small pieces using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. This creates steam pockets in the dough, giving the scones a light texture. Once combined, stir in the chocolate chips to evenly distribute them throughout the dough.
Experimentation Encouraged: For a flakier texture, leave some larger pea-sized pieces of butter when breaking down the fat. If you have a food processor, it can speed up the butter-cutting process.
Step 4: Combine Wet Ingredients
Whisk together the pumpkin puree, milk, egg, and vanilla. This mixture adds moisture and flavor to the dough, while the egg helps bind the ingredients and creates a tender crumb in the finished scones.
Step 5: Make the Dough
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Gently fold the ingredients together until just combined, being careful not to overmix. This ensures the scones stay tender and flaky.
Step 6: Knead the Dough
Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and gently knead it until smooth, about 5 to 7 times. Be careful not to overwork the dough, making the scones tough.
Step 7: Portion the Scones
Shape the dough into a round disk about 6 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the disk into eight wedges. Transfer the scones to the parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving space between them. Gently press additional chocolate chips into the tops of each scone for extra flavor and texture.
Step 8: Bake
Bake the scones for 12 to 15 minutes, until the surface is set and lightly browned and the bottoms are golden brown. This ensures they are fully cooked with a tender inside and crisp exterior.
Step 9: Cool
Allow the scones to set on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps maintain their texture while preventing overcooking on the hot pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scones are a type of quick bread that requires minimal time and effort to make. They rely on baking powder, a chemical leavening agent, instead of yeast, which helps them rise quickly. The result is a tender, flaky texture with a slightly crisp exterior, making them perfect for a light, airy pastry.
Coconut sugar is an unrefined sugar boiled and dehydrated from the sap of the coconut palm. This ingredient is popular in healthy recipes because it contains trace vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, and copper.
Coconut sugar is also lower in glycemic index, ranking at 35 compared to about 60 to 75 with white sugar. It has a more molasses-type flavor similar to brown sugar, which works nicely with the spices in the pumpkin scones.
Use white whole wheat flour because the grains are more tender, lighter in color, and have a milder flavor than traditional red whole wheat flour.
However, you can use 100% whole wheat flour for a more nutty and dense scone texture.
Baking with coconut oil is a great dairy-free alternative to butter. It’s made up of about 84% saturated fat, primarily medium-chain triglycerides, which may be easier for your body to digest than other fats. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, making it ideal for baking. I use refined coconut oil for its neutral flavor, but unrefined coconut oil works, too—just be sure to chill it beforehand to make it easier to mix into the dough.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into ¼" pieces
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Heat the Oven – Place the oven rack in the position. Heat to 400°F (204ºC). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.
- Add the Butter and Chocolate – Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or fingers to break the butter into small pieces until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Combine Wet Ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, milk, egg, and vanilla.
- Make the Dough – Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Fold together until just combined.
- Knead the Dough – Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and lightly knead until smooth, but do not overwork, about 5 to 7 times. Add more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Portion the Scones – Shape the dough into a round disk about 6 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Cut the disc like a pie into 6 or 8 pieces depending on your desired size. Place scones on the parchment-lined sheet pan. Press in additional chocolate chips onto the surface of the scones.
- Bake – Bake until the surface is set and lightly browned, and the bottoms are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Cool – Allow the scones to cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- For Healthier Scones: Use coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar, chilled coconut oil instead of butter, and whole wheat or white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. Use gluten-free flour for dietary restrictions.
- Using Pumpkin Pie Spice: Add 2 teaspoons of homemade or store-bought pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
- Make it Dairy-Free: Use unsweetened almond, soy, coconut or cashew milk. Purchase dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Storing: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat before eating. Freeze in a resealable plastic bag for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Carrie says
This recipe is excellent. I doubled it so I could freeze half.
Sue Baxter says
I’ve just been looking at some of your pumpkin recipes and the nutritional information you also provide. Thank you for all the information you are sharing.
I live in England. The only time we get pumpkins here is October,, pumpkin puree is not readily available, so I grew some pumpkins for the first time this year. I love roasted pumpkin cooked in the chicken juices, and Tai pumpkin curry is delicious as well. Today I will try out the roasted seeds. I wonder if you could dry/roast seeds and grind them into flour like you can with almonds? Have you tried this?
Many thanks, Sue
Jessica Gavin says
Wow Sue, you are amazing! I can’t believe you grew your own pumpkins. Thai pumpkin curry sounds incredible! I think you can make a flour with the roasted shelled pepitas. Let me know how it goes!
Kate | And They Cooked Happily Ever After says
THESE look amazing! I am a lover of all things in the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip fam too 🙂 YUM!
brittany | words like honeycomb says
giiiiirl you tryin’ to derail the health train I’m on…STOP IT….(not really, keep that bakin’ happenin’!!) 😀
Jessica Gavin says
I made them healthier friend 🙂 Just for you!
Pam says
I’m sure they are delicious but 39g carbs and 20g sugar, any way to lower both those to make them even more healthy?
Jessica Gavin says
You could try to cut back on the chocolate chips. Maybe use mini chips instead, it will cover more surface area when mixed so you can add less. You could add less coconut sugar, it just won’t be as sweet. Or, make mini scones!