Easy Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

240 g (2 cups) plain gluten free flour blend, plus extra for flouring the surface

100 g (½ cup) light brown soft sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp xanthan gum (Omit if your gluten free flour blend already contains xanthan gum.)

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

115 g (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed

120 g (½ cup) canned pumpkin puree, chilled

60 g (¼ cup) cold heavy/double cream

½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

You will also need:

1-2 tbsp heavy/double cream, for brushing the scones

1 tbsp granulated sugar, for sprinkling the scones

Maple vanilla glaze:

80 g (⅔ cup) powdered/icing sugar

20 g (1 tbsp) maple syrup

½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

5-10 g (1-2 tsp) whole milk

Directions

Making the scone dough:

Note: It's very important that the scone dough stays cold at all times if you want to get the perfect scone texture and appearance. Make sure that your butter and cream are cold, straight from the fridge. I recommend chilling your pumpkin puree as well – place it in the fridge at least 15 minutes before you start making the scones. Work quite quickly: don’t overwork or over-handle the dough, as that can make the butter start to melt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, light brown sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

Add the cold cubed butter and work it into the dry ingredients until you get a mixture resembling breadcrumbs, with a few pea-sized pieces here and there.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, heavy/double cream and vanilla, and add them to the flour-butter mixture.

Stir everything together until the dough starts clumping together in places. The dough will still be fairly shaggy at this point, but most of the flour should be hydrated (there shouldn't be any large patches of dry flour). Your dough may be slightly sticky to the touch, that's okay. Don't add any more flour, as that would make the final, baked scones too dry.

Shaping & chilling the scones:

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and dust the top of the dough with some flour as well. Press it together into a rough ball and then shape it into a 7-inch (18cm) disc.Be careful not to overwork it, it needs to stay as cold as possible, otherwise the butter could start to melt. You don’t need to knead it – the aim is to press it together so it won’t fall apart when you cut it into the individual scones, but it doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth.

Cut it into 8 wedges, either with a sharp knife or with a straight-edged metal pastry cutter (bench scraper).

Transfer the scones onto a lined baking sheet, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap/cling film (to prevent them from drying out) and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or until they're firm to the touch. While the scones are chilling, start pre-heating the oven.Tip: This chilling step sets the butter in the dough and it prevents the scones from spreading too much during baking. This way, they'll puff up in the oven but still retain their pretty wedge shape.

Baking the pumpkin scones:

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC) and line a large baking sheet with parchment/baking paper.Tip: I like to transfer the chilled scones onto a new, room temperature baking sheet (not the one they've been chilled on). That ensures that their bottoms start baking straight away and further prevents spreading.

Place the chilled scones onto the lined baking sheet, spaced as far apart as possible, as they will puff up during baking. Brush their tops with heavy/double cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake them at 400ºF (200ºC) for 20-22 minutes until deep golden brown on top and slightly darker around the edges.

Once baked, allow them to cool the baking sheet for a few minutes while you prepare the glaze.

Maple-vanilla glaze:

In a bowl, whisk together the powdered/icing sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and 1 teaspoon of milk until smooth. If needed, add 1 teaspoon of milk more, to reach the desired drizzling consistency.I recommend making the glaze slightly thicker than you might think is necessary, especially if you want to achieve a neat finish that doesn’t pool and spread excessively after you’ve drizzled it over the scones.

Drizzle the glaze over the scones. Allow it to set slightly before serving. The scones are amazing both warm or cooled completely to room temperature.

Storage:

The gluten free pumpkin scones are at their best on the day of baking, but you can store them in a closed container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 days.

Notes

10/14/25 Use 252 g flour (126 tapioca, 63 g millet, 63 g buckwheat), reduce baking powder by 1/8 teaspoon, add 1 tablespoon cream so 74 g for high altitude. Put in refrigerator for 1 hour before baking. Bake at 420 degree for altitude approximate 20 minutes.