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Brown Butter Pumpkin Scones

These pumpkin brown butter scones are a delicious fall inspired breakfast! They sound complicated but trust me, they're actually really easy! They're soft and buttery with a hint of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutty brown butter-- all topped off with a delicious and tangy cream cheese icing.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Chill Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pumpkin brown butter scones
Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the Scones

  • 10 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pumpkin spice
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans optional

For the Cream Cheese Icing

  • 2 oz whipped cream cheese at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Brown the Butter

  • Chop the butter into cubes and place it in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, begin to whisk it gently. Allow the butter cook until it is golden brown— about 4 minutes. The butter will foam on top but you’ll know the butter is ready when the foam on top starts to turn golden brown. Remove it from the heat and whisk it gently again. Transfer to a heat safe, airtight container and freeze until solid— about 2 hours.
  • Note: Make sure to scrape all of the browned solids out of the bottom of the pan! You don’t want to lose any of that flavor.

For the Scones

  • Add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Chop the frozen brown butter into large cubes and add it to the food processor. Pulse again until the butter is the size of peas— about 10 pulses.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, vanilla, and pumpkin puree until combined.
  • Transfer the butter/flour mixture to large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and chopped pecans (optional). Stir until no large clumps of flour remain.
  • Once the dough is fully combined (it will look dry, that’s okay!), transfer it onto a floured surface and pat it into a circle using your hands— the dough should be 1 inch thick and the circle should be 8 inches in diameter.
  • Cut the dough into 8 triangles and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Bake in a preheated 425F oven for 16-20 minutes, or until the scones are lightly browned and puffed.

For the Icing

  • To make the icing, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until no large lumps of powdered sugar remain. Allow the scones to fully cool before icing or the icing will melt off the scones.

Notes

Store the scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. The scones are best when reheated in the microwave for 30 seconds.