Starbucks' Pumpkin Scones

Happy September!  And Happy Labor Day, too. It may be 100+ degrees here but my Mother-In-Law and I decided it was close enough to fall to try a recipe for Pumpkin Scones....like the ones from Starbucks.  Even the lack of canned pumpkin puree at Whole Foods wasn't enough to deter us, we went all out and pureed our first sugar pumpkin of the year.

I've never had a pumpkin scone from Starbucks and, in fact, I can't remember the last time I had any kind of scone but my these were delicious.  They have a glazed crust on the outside and the cakes are nice and soft on the inside. They are not overly sweet and slightly spicy in that fall kind of way.  Nutmeg and cloves, yum.

Starbucks' Pumpkin Scones, adapted from the recipe found at MomsWhoThink
makes 6 large scones

Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup 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 cold butter (1 stick), cubed
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 large egg

Sugar glaze:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spice glaze:
1 cup + 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger


Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Grease a sheet pan or line it with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for the scones.  Pour that into the food processor and then add cubed cold butter.  Pulse the machine until the butter is cut in and crumbly.  Transfer the contents of the processor back to the bowl.

In a smaller bowl whisk the wet ingredients for the scones together.  Add them to the dry and then mix to combine.

Flour the counter-top and then turn out the dough and shape it into a rectangle about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide.  (It should be about 1 inch high)  Cut the dough into three equal portions and then cut each portion diagonally to make six triangular scones.  (Use a floured knife or pastry cutter)

Put the scones on the prepared sheet pan and then bake them for 14-16 minutes or until they are a light golden brown.  Transfer the baked scones to a wire rack and cool completely.

Whisk up the ingredients for the sugar glaze and then brush it on to the tops of the cooled scones.  Let the glaze dry and harden.  Meanwhile mix up the spice glaze.  When the sugar glaze is set, drizzle the spice glaze over and serve.

**Note, I did not use nearly the amount of the sugar glaze this recipe made so instead of making the spice glaze from scratch I just added some more powdered sugar to the remaining sugar glaze to thicken it and then added the spices called for.  I thought that was plenty of glaze. :)

Like I said, I've never had a pumpkin scone from Starbucks but my Mother-In-Law says these definitely measure up.  I just think they are a delicious first taste of fall.  Enjoy!