web analytics

Pumpkin Spice Latte Toffee Scones

Pumpkin Spice Latte Toffee Scones

It’s PSL season and the popular coffee drink is all over the place, not just at Starbucks these days. I find most pumpkin spice lattes to be a little on the sweet side for my tastes, but I still love the idea of them because I think that coffee and spices always work well together. Instead of just mixing up a variation on the drink, I’m using it as inspiration to make other goodies, like Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake and these Pumpkin Spice Latte Toffee Scones

These scones are a type of cream scone, meaning that they use cream instead of butter in the recipe. To the cream, I added instant espresso powder and vanilla extract, while I added pumpkin pie spice and sugar to the dry ingredient mixture. Cream scones are easier to mix up than other types of scones because you don’t need to cut in any butter. The finished scones are light and tender, with a soft texture that seems to carry the pumpkin spice latte flavor very well. The scones aren’t overly sweet, so the toffee bits add a nice pop of sweetness without overwhelming the other flavors, though they are sweet enough that you don’t need to finish them off with frosting before serving. I recommend pairing them with a freshly made latte for breakfast.

The only thing to watch out for with this style of scone is adding too much liquid. If you add too much cream, the dough will be very sticky and the scones will spread into cake-like cookies instead of rising up the way you want them to. The dough shouldn’t be dry when you’re mixing it, but it shouldn’t be so soft that it sticks like glue to your countertop when you’re shaping the scones, either! You can’t overwork this dough (not without some serious mixing time, anyway), so don’t hesitate to add a little extra flour and keep mixing until the dough is firm and only slightly tacky after it has come together.

The scones are at their best on the day they are baked, so eat them while they are fresh. If you don’t need the full batch, you can cut this in half and just make four scones at a time.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Toffee Scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup toffee bits
coarse sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt and sugar.
In a measuring cup, whisk together heavy cream, instant espresso powder and vanilla extract. Pour 1/2 cup of the heavy cream mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine. Gradually add in remaining cream 1-2 tbsp at a time, until a firm dough forms that is only slightly sticky on the exterior, not overly soft. Stir in toffee bits.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Divide dough into two pieces and shape each piece into a circle about 3/4-inch thick. Cut each circle into four wedges.
Arrange scones on top of prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake for 15-19 minutes, or until scones are set.
Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Makes 8.

Share this article

1 Comment
  • Dru
    October 3, 2016

    These look really good–how do the toffee bits figure in? I don’t see them in the recipe or instructions. Thank you!

What do you think?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *