Monster Face Pumpkin Scones (Printer-friendly)

Spiced pumpkin scones with colorful monster face decorations for festive Halloween fun

# What you'll need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
03 - 1 tbsp baking powder
04 - 1/2 tsp baking soda
05 - 1/2 tsp salt
06 - 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
07 - 1/2 tsp ground ginger
08 - 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
09 - 1/4 tsp ground cloves

→ Wet Ingredients

10 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
11 - 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
12 - 1/4 cup whole milk
13 - 1 large egg
14 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

→ Decoration

15 - 1 cup powdered sugar
16 - 1-2 tbsp milk for glaze
17 - Food coloring (orange, green, black, purple)
18 - Candy eyes, mini chocolate chips, or colored sugar pearls

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in large bowl.
03 - Add cold butter cubes to flour mixture. Cut into flour using pastry cutter or fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
04 - Whisk pumpkin purée, milk, egg, and vanilla extract in separate bowl until smooth.
05 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Pat into 1-inch thick circle. Cut into 8 wedges.
07 - Place wedges on prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Bake 16-18 minutes until golden and firm. Cool completely before decorating.
08 - Mix powdered sugar with 1-2 tbsp milk until smooth. Divide into bowls and tint with desired food coloring.
09 - Spread or drizzle colored glaze over each scone. Add candy eyes and decorations before glaze sets to create monster faces.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The spice blend hits perfectly without being overwhelming for kids
  • These freeze beautifully so you can bake ahead and decorate later
  • Everyone gets to be an artist no matter their age or skill level
02 -
  • Overworking the dough makes tough scones so mix until just combined and no more
  • Cold butter is nonnegotiable warm butter disappears into the flour and you lose all those flaky pockets
  • The glaze sets faster than you expect so have all decorations ready before you start drizzling
03 -
  • Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the wedges cleanly without dragging the dough
  • Space the scones at least two inches apart so they have room to rise and bake evenly
  • If the glaze gets too thick add milk one teaspoon at a time until it flows smoothly

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