pumpkin chocolate scones with espresso cream cheese glaze.

because we need one more pumpkin scone recipe for the internets!

we all just can’t stop with the pumpkin things around this time of year - but for a durn good reason. it’s all delightful. and cozy.

i do secretly like the pumpkin scone at starbucks (warmed UP!), even though it’s generally dry as a bone. i wanted to make a solid go-to homemade p-scone recipe. not bone dry. soft. but sconey on the outside. add chocolate & oats for texture. add a tasty glaze.

and here we be:

halfway through making this recipe i realized all the flavors were strikingly similar to the ones in this pumpkin espresso pie from a couple years ago…..but whatya gunna do? i like what i like.

that pie was mayjah delicious, too.

it seems kind of hard to get people to eat a scone.

want a scone?

…not really.

most scones are cardboardy dry bricks that you cough & choke on. not theeeese, though. these are super moist, dense & almost bready on the inside, but still firm and scone-y on the outside, thanks to the layer of cream brushed on before baking.

i got some hot pumpkin tips from sally’s baking blog - so helpful! blotting the pumpkin purée = genius. i thought it’d be a mess, but not at all! it really just slides off the paper towel somehow. and look at this cookie recipe of hers. i must have it.

i have a fond memory of a chocolate hazelnut scone from a coffee stand growing up. i recreated that recipe right here!

those scones don’t need a glaze. however, i’d say these pumpkin ones definitely DO. people were quite enjoying these scones when i made them, but the glaze was pretty much the star of the show.

it is sweet cream cheesy smooth glaze with a nice hit of coffee flavor. MMM! whomever decided that pumpkin & coffee could go together is both kooky & kooL, i suppose.

^ you can just tell the innards of the scones are moist from the pumpkin - and that heavy creeeeam. luxury.

here’s the glaze. there will be a little bit left over…i’m not sure what to do with it. maybe smear onto a graham cracker! it’s very tasty.

and chocolate wafers instead of chips because i wanted POOLS of chocolate in there, mmk.

…want a scone?

we’ll end this with a live text update & scone review from a friend:

“I’m not even kidding tho that scone was the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. Nuked it for 30 seconds and god damn so thank YOU!” — kind scone critic

Pumpkin Chocolate Scones with Espresso Cream Cheese Glaze

Makes 8 Large Scones

Total Time: 40 minutes

{Techniques adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction}

Ingredients:

Scones:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed, or grated

• 1/3 cup heavy cream + 2 TB

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée - blot off the excess moisture with paper towel

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate wafers, roughly chopped. Or chocolate chips.

• 1/2 cup oats

• raw sugar, for sprinkling

Glaze:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature

• 2 TB. unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

• 3 TB. strong coffee or espresso, cooled

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

• 1/2 tsp. espresso powder

Instructions-

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients except the brown sugar and oats. Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture and combine with your hands until it is shaggy with pea-sized butter bits.

In a medium bowl, mix the 1/3 cup heavy cream, blotted pumpkin, egg, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Drizzle the wet ingredients into the butter & flour mixture. Mix with a spoon until just combined.

Lastly, add the oats and roughly chopped chocolate wafers. Gently mix until ingredients are incorporated and a ball of dough is formed. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a round, flat disk about 8 inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, slice the round into 8 even triangles. Use a spatula to place the scones a couple inches apart on the prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Chill in the fridge for about 5 minutes before baking.

Before baking, brush the remaining 2 TB of heavy cream over the tops and sides of the scones. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown, checking at 18 minutes for doneness.

While the scones are baking, prepare the glaze. Make a shot of espresso or a very strong, small cup of coffee. I use the AeroPress to make strong coffee like this.

In a small bowl, whisk together the room temperature cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the espresso and vanilla and whisk again. Add the powdered sugar and whisk well until very smooth. Stir in the fine sea salt and extra espresso powder to taste.

Cool the scones slightly on a cooling rack after baking. Use a spoon to spread the glaze over the tops and sides of the warm scones. Top with extra espresso powder if desired.

Serve immediately! Enjoy within 2 days. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

qp

pumpkin cream cheese sweet bread.

just a quick post to say…….if you mess up one recipe big time, there is a chance you can transform it into something else completely.

this here was once destined to be pumpkin cream cheese frosting for these chai blondies. when i over-pumpkin’ed the mixture, it was never going to work as frosting because it became super grainy. i was sooo sad even thinking about throwing out a huge mixing bowl of perfectly good stuff….

so i made it into something else!

since this was originally destined for a life as frosting, it was made with a bunch of powdered sugar. it then took a hard right turn at a fork, journeyed through a tunnel, and resurfaced into the light as a fun little pumpkin sweet bread.

to be honest, i’ll probably never make this particular recipe over again, just because it’s a pumpkin bread made with powdered sugar. but, it was very yummy and super moist and good! if you love a sweet bread, this recipe is for you!

here is my regular pumpkin/squash bread recipe that i like the best. you can switch out pumpkin for butternut squash as you desire.

moral of the story is: unless you’ve burned something to a crisp or dropped it all over the floor, chances are you can take a “failed” recipe and give it a new life.

make lemonade from lemons, if you will. 🍋😊

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Sweet Bread

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Makes: One Loaf

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 4 oz. room temperature cream cheese

• 1 cup pumpkin purée

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 tsp. chai blend (find recipe in this post) or pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 2 TB heavy cream

• 1 egg

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. baking powder

Instructions-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and line a loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving enough excess paper on the edges for you to be able to grab and lift the bread out of the pan later.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs & vanilla, mix until combined. Add the pumpkin, chai spice blend and salt, mixing until incorporated. Add the powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments to slowly combine.

Slowly add the flour and baking powders to the mixture, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula as needed. Lastly, add 2 TB heavy cream or milk and stir.

Spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan and place on top of a baking sheet. Place into the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Carefully grab the parchment with both hands to lift the entire loaf out of the pan and onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Slice and serve with coffee (or something unsweetened, to balance it out)!

Cover with foil or store in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

qp