These pumpkin scones with cinnamon sugar and rum-soaked raisins are the most perfect, crispy Autumn morning pastry! Serve them with hot apple cider, or your favorite Autumn tea!
You may be thinking you need to soak those tasty raisins for hours to get them nice and plump. Surprise! It takes only 5 minutes, and you won’t believe how tender and juicy they are!
Your holiday houseguests will LOVE to wake up to the smell of these divine little scones fresh out of the oven! They have a way of filling every corner of your home with the most dreamy pumpkin spice aroma for hours! They’re not too sweet, not too crumbly – just moist and perfectly spiced.
My pumpkin recipes are some of my very favorites. Once you’ve made these scones, make sure you take a look at my pumpkin flan with chai whipped cream, my pumpkin spice snickerdoodles and for an exquisite savory recipe, my Instant Pot pumpkin risotto is my most requested at dinner parties!
Ingredient Notes
raisins – Feel free to use black or golden raisins.
flour – Use all-purpose flour. This recipe hasn’t been tested with gluten-free flours like almond or coconut.
brown sugar – Use dark brown sugar for a more rich flavor.
white sugar – Just standard granulated white sugar will do.
baking powder – Be sure not to use baking soda as a substitute.
pumpkin spice – If you can’t find ready-made pumpkin spice, simply mix equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg, ground clove, allspice and ginger powder.
cinnamon – Even though cinnamon is a part of pumpkin spice, this recipe needs a bit more of a cinnamon kick.
butter – This recipe calls for unsalted, but I’ve used salted and don’t taste much of a difference, so if it’s all you have, feel free to use.
kosher salt – Or any flake salt.
heavy cream – Make sure to use Heavy Cream, and not Half-and-Half.
pumpkin puree – Use unflavored, unsweetened pumpkin puree. Not “pumpkin pie filling.”
eggs – You’ll need one for mixing into the scones, and one to brush on top.
vanilla extract – Make sure to use a real extract, and not imitation.
rum – You can also use whisky, or simply use water if you want to eliminate alcohol.
How to Make Pumpkin Scones – Step by Step
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C.). In a saucepan, add 1 cup of raisins and ½ cup rum. Bring to a boil (about 2-3 minutes) then let the raisins boil for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the raisins in the saucepan until step 9. They’ll be plumping into the tastiest little raisins while you mix your dough!
2. Add 2½ cups flour, ⅓ cup packed brown sugar, 1 tbsp. baking powder, 1½ tsp. pumpkin spice, ½ tsp. cinnamon and ½ tsp. kosher salt to a bowl and whisk.
3. It helps to strain your mixture through a mesh strainer to break up any clumpy brown sugar. Simply break it up and push it through the strainer with a spoon.
4. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, mix ¼ cup heavy cream, ½ cup pumpkin puree, 1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1 beaten egg. Set aside. You’ll be adding this to your flour mixture once you’ve completed the next step.
5. Chop cold, 4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter into pieces then use your hands to mix it into the flour mixture until you’ve got a crumbly texture. Make sure to leave a few small bits of butter unmixed. That’s how you get some tasty nooks and crannies in your scones.
6. Pour in the pumpkin mixture and stir with a mixing spoon.
7. Once mixed, gently strain the rum out of your raisins (make sure to save that raisin-rum for a tasty sip!) and pour them into your mixing bowl. Gently mix the raisins into the scone dough.
8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl or on a plate, pour 2 tbsp. flour. Cover your palms and fingers and pick up some dough. Make a ball that’s about as big as a golf ball.
9. Place the balls onto the baking sheet, about 1-2 inches apart.
10. Brush each scone with a beaten egg.
11. In a small bowl, mix together 1 tsp. white granulated sugar, ⅛ tsp. cinnamon and ½ tsp. brown sugar (break up the brown sugar as best you can) and sprinkle liberally on the scones.
12. Pop them in the oven for 20 minutes. Allow them to cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Serve with butter and swoon.
A Few Tips
Make sure to use very cold butter. If you want to get extra airy, tasty nooks and crannies into your scones, chop your butter into teeny, tiny pieces, then freeze it before you mix it in. That way the butter pieces will stay firm.
When you mix your dry ingredients together, push your brown sugar through a mesh strainer to make sure it mixes in properly. No matter how dry it is, it’s usually a little chunky/sticky, and you don’t want the sugar to bunch up in the dough.
If you want to add a delicious glaze, take a look at my strawberry rhubarb scones for the simple recipe.
Common Questions
They store perfectly fine in a container with a lid in the fridge for at least 2 weeks – if they last that long.
These were MADE for unsalted butter. Plain and simple. I wouldn’t use a jam. They’re already sweet enough and don’t need any extra flavors.
Sure! A sweet port, whisky or bourbon would do nicely, or if you want to go non-alcoholic, you can use apple cider or simply water and a teaspoon of honey instead. They’ll all make your raisins plump and juicy!
Toast pumpkin scones at 350 F. (175 C.) for 5-7 minutes.
A Few More Tasty Autumn Recipes
- 10 Elegant Autumn Cocktails
- Autumn Nutmeg Deviled Eggs
- Heavenly Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse
- Super Simple Mini-Pumpkin Pies
For more inspiration, subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on Instagram, on Pinterest, tiktok and Facebook! And if you ever make any of my tasty drinks or treats, take a picture and tag me. I want to see!
Pumpkin Scones with Rum Raisins
Equipment
- saucepan
- marge mixing bowl
- measuring cup
- cutting board
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- pastry brush
- small mixing bowl
- mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ cup dark rum
- 2½ cups flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar – packed
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1½ tsp. pumpkin spice
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 1 stick butter – unsalted
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ can pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. real vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Extras
- 1 large egg – for brushing the scones
- 1 tsp. granulated white sugar – for sprinkling
- ⅛ tsp. cinnamon – for sprinkling
- ½ tsp. brown sugar – for sprinkling
- 2 tbsp. flour – to coat fingers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C.). In a saucepan, add 1 cup of raisins and ½ cup rum. Bring to a boil (about 2-3 minutes) then let the raisins boil for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the raisins in the saucepan until step 5.
- Add 2½ cups flour, ⅓ cup packed brown sugar, 1 tbsp. baking powder, 1½ tsp. pumpkin spice, ½ tsp. cinnamon and ½ tsp. kosher salt to a bowl and whisk.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, mix ¼ cup heavy cream, ½ cup pumpkin puree, 1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1 beaten egg. Set aside. You’ll be adding this to your flour mixture once you’ve completed the next step.
- Chop cold, 4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter into pieces then use your hands to mix it into the flour mixture until you’ve got a crumbly texture. Make sure to leave a few small bits of butter unmixed. That’s how you get some tasty nooks and crannies in your scones.
- Pour in the pumpkin mixture and stir with a mixing spoon. Once mixed, gently strain the rum out of your raisins (make sure to save it for a tasty sip!) and pour them into your mixing bowl. Gently mix the raisins into the scone dough.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl or on a plate, pour 2 tbsp. flour. Cover your palms and fingers and pick up some dough. Make a ball that’s about as big as a golf ball. Place the balls onto the baking sheet, about 1-2 inches apart. Brush each scone with a beaten egg.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 tsp. white granulated sugar, ⅛ tsp. cinnamon and ½ tsp. brown sugar (break up the brown sugar as best you can) and sprinkle liberally on the scones.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Allow them to cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Serve with butter and swoon.
Gloria Nicolls
You can grind the cinnamon adhere into powder. Sprinkle it in excess of your buttered toasted bread. Chew the bread slowly and gradually and completely to encourage the production of the digestive juices in your mouth. Consequently, ahead of swallowing, the process of digestion in the mouth already commences.