Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Scones
Brighten even the chilliest of days with these cozy pumpkin scones! Full of spices and soft oats, they’re lightly sweetened and supremely moist. Paired with coffee or tea for breakfast, or nibbled on plain for a little pick-me-up snack, they’re perfect for fall! Store any leftover scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should last for at least four days, if not longer!
Ingredients
- ½ cup (50g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ½ cup (120g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix!)
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp homemade pumpkin pie spice (see Notes!)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 3 tbsp + 2 tsp (55mL) nonfat milk, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (highly recommended!) or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Make a well in the center. Pour in the oat mixture and 3 tablespoons of milk. Stir them together, then gradually stir in the surrounding flour mixture until just incorporated.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle, and brush with the remaining milk. Slice the dough into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife (but don't separate them!). Bake at 425°F for 22-26 minutes, or until the tops golden and the center feels firm to the touch. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's very important to measure your oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will make your scones turn out dry and can sometimes give them a crumbly texture – especially the oats! They act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the dough.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not separate the 8 dough wedges before baking in Step 3. Instead, leave them touching on the baking sheet! This helps make the insides really moist, soft, and fluffy.
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: As written, these scones aren’t overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter scones, substitute an additional pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk. (For example, use 4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and decrease the milk in the dough to 2 tablespoons.)
If you like a stronger spice flavor (like I do!), then use an extra ¼ to ½ teaspoon of cinnamon in your homemade pumpkin pie spice. (My homemade blend is below!)
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats. (They're not the ones that come in individual brown paper packets with flavors like "apple cinnamon" or "maple brown sugar.") Instant oats only have one ingredient: oats!
In a pinch, to make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned rolled oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times, or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.
PUMPKIN PURÉE NOTES: Pumpkin purée is also called “100% pure pumpkin” or “canned pumpkin.” For the best results, the only ingredient on the label should be “pumpkin.” I don’t recommend substituting pumpkin pie mix because it contains other ingredients, which affects the way it behaves in baking recipes.
I haven’t tried using homemade pumpkin purée, so I’m not personally sure how that will work. If you do, would you leave me a comment below? I’d love to hear how your scones turned out!
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE: To make the homemade pumpkin pie spice, use as follows: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
Also, I highly recommend Saigon cinnamon! It’s a bit stronger, richer, and sweeter than regular cinnamon. Many grocery stores now stock it, but I normally buy it online here. (It’s basically the only kind I use in my baking recipes now!)
Store-bought pumpkin pie spice may be substituted for the homemade. (I’ve found they’re often heavy on the cinnamon, include minimal other spices, and don’t taste as rich or cozy as homemade. That’s why I prefer to make my own!)
IMPORTANT BUTTER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: It’s very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isn’t necessary for this recipe!) With very cold butter, it won’t soften or melt until you put the scones in the extremely hot oven, and it will create little air pockets and a very tender crumb when it melts.
For this reason, I don’t recommend substituting tub-style spreadable butter. (It’s already soft and more likely to melt!) I also don’t recommend substituting coconut oil. It melts at a much lower temperature, which affects the texture of your scones. (See the “no warm ingredients” header in my blog post above for more information!) If you do decide to substitute spreadable butter or coconut oil, just keep this in mind!
Salted butter may be substituted for the unsalted butter. For a dairy-free option, I recommend using stick-style vegan butter instead. (I really like this one and this one.)
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup.
I do not recommend substituting sugar-free maple syrup. Those products are often water-based, which affects the scones’ texture. The scones usually turn out denser and collapse some while cooling.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
EGG-FREE VERSION: No modifications necessary!
DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: Use stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one). Substitute your favorite dairy-free milk in place of the nonfat milk.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats (or use certified gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats to make a DIY version, as outlined above!). For the gluten-free flour, use the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if they’re measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: Store your scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for at least four or five days, if not longer.
I highly recommend reheating leftover scones in the microwave before eating them! It really improves their texture and makes them soft and fluffy again! I heat them on 30% power until they’re warmed all the way through.
These scones also freeze really well!
{gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free option, vegan option, clean eating, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.