These pumpkin biscuits are flaky buttermilk biscuits baked as little sandwiches: two rounds of dough, a spoonful of cinnamon spiced pumpkin in the middle, and pepitas on top. The recipe makes 8 large filled biscuits in about 45 minutes. They come out of a 400°F oven tall, crisp at the edges, and soft inside.
The dough is plain on purpose. It has only 1 tablespoon of sugar, so the pumpkin filling carries the brown sugar, the spice, and all the fall flavor. Eat them warm with honey or maple syrup for breakfast, or tuck them into the Thanksgiving bread basket next to the dinner rolls.
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The biscuit dough is 2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup cold unsalted butter, ¾ cup cold buttermilk, and 1 large egg. That egg makes the dough a little richer and sturdier than a plain buttermilk biscuit. Good thing. The top round has to sit on a wet filling and still bake up crisp.
The filling is 1 cup pumpkin puree with 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon each of nutmeg and ginger, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. A second beaten egg goes on the tops, followed by 2 tablespoons of pepitas and 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar. If you roast your own, homemade pumpkin puree works well once it is drained thick.
Pumpkin Puree or Pumpkin Pie Filling?
Use plain pumpkin puree. Always. Canned pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spice mixed in, and it is looser, so it runs out of the seams and tastes too sweet once the brown sugar goes in.
Homemade puree is usually wetter than canned. Spoon it into a sieve lined with a paper towel for 20 minutes, until it mounds on a spoon like thick mashed potatoes. Skip it and you will be scraping pumpkin off the tray.
Building Flaky Layers
Cold butter and a letter fold make the layers. Cut the butter in until it looks like coarse crumbs with a few pea size bits left. Those bits melt in the oven and leave steam pockets behind. Pour in the buttermilk and egg and stir only until a shaggy dough forms. Rough is right. The method is close to our sour cream biscuits, just with a fold added.
On a floured counter, roll the dough into a ½ inch thick rectangle, fold it in thirds like a letter, and roll it out again. Do this fold three times in total. If the butter starts to smear or the dough feels greasy, slide it onto a tray and chill it for 10 minutes before the next fold.
Filling and Sealing Without Leaks
Mix the filling before you start the dough so it can sit while you work. Stir until no streaks of spice are left and it looks smooth and evenly orange.
Roll the dough ½ inch thick and cut 16 rounds. A cutter about 3 inches wide gets you there with one reroll of the scraps. Press straight down and lift; twisting the cutter pinches the edges shut and the biscuits rise less. Set 8 rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet and spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into each center, keeping a clean ½ inch border.
Lay the other 8 rounds on top and press the edges together with your fingertips, then crimp them with a fork. Edges not sticking? Use a dab of water.
Baking and Knowing When They Are Done
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) while you shape, so the tray goes straight in. If the dough went soft during filling, chill the tray for 10 minutes first. Brush the tops with beaten egg, scatter the pepitas and coarse sugar, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
They are done when they have puffed well, the tops are deep gold, and the sides look dry and flaky instead of shiny. One bubbling seam is fine. Cool them on a rack for about 10 minutes. Do not bite in sooner. That filling holds heat.
Small Fixes That Help
- Filling leaked out: the puree was too wet, the biscuits were overfilled, or the edges were not sealed. Drain the puree, stop at 2 tablespoons, and crimp with a fork.
- Flat, dense biscuits: the butter got warm or the dough was overmixed. Keep the butter and buttermilk cold and stop stirring at shaggy.
- Tops browning before 18 minutes: lay a sheet of foil loosely over the tray for the last few minutes so the centers can finish.
- Tough texture: too much flour on the counter or too many rerolls. Reroll the scraps once only.
Swaps and Storage
Use 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Chopped pecans can stand in for the pepitas. For a sweeter breakfast version, brush the warm tops with maple syrup instead of honey.
These are best on the day you bake them. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes to crisp the tops again. Baked, cooled biscuits freeze for up to 2 months; reheat them from frozen at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
Serving Pumpkin Biscuits
Serve them warm with honey, maple syrup, whipped maple butter, or a soft cinnamon butter. For Thanksgiving, set them out next to a pan of pumpkin cornbread and let people choose.
Pin this one to your fall baking board for the next cold Saturday. If you bake a batch, tell me in the comments how the filling held up and what you served them with.
Pumpkin Biscuits with Spiced Pumpkin Filling
These pumpkin biscuits with spiced pumpkin filling are flaky buttermilk biscuits made with cold butter, flour, and an egg, sandwiched around pumpkin puree mixed with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla. The recipe makes 8 large filled biscuits in about 45 minutes, baked at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes until tall and crisp at the edges. Three letter folds build the layers, and a ½ inch border crimped with a fork keeps the filling inside. Serve these pumpkin filled biscuits warm with honey or maple syrup for fall breakfast, Thanksgiving brunch, or the holiday bread basket. Swap in pumpkin pie spice if you like, and keep leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- FOR THE BISCUIT DOUGH
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cup cold buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- FOR THE PUMPKIN FILLING
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- FOR THE TOPPING
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, optional
- Honey or maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
PREPARE THE FILLING: In a medium bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully combined. Set aside while preparing the dough.
MAKE THE BISCUIT DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter and cut it into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until coarse crumbs form. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until a shaggy dough comes together. Do not overmix.
CREATE THE LAYERS: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter, then roll it out again. Repeat the folding and rolling process two more times to create flaky layers.
CUT AND FILL THE BISCUITS: Roll the dough to approximately ½ inch thickness. Using a round biscuit cutter, cut out 16 circles. Arrange 8 circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of pumpkin filling into the center of each circle, leaving a small border around the edges. Top each with a remaining dough circle and gently press the edges to seal.
ADD THE TOPPING: Brush the tops of the biscuits with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and coarse sugar, if desired.
BAKE THE BISCUITS: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the biscuits are puffed and golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and allow the biscuits to cool for about 10 minutes.
SERVE: Drizzle the warm biscuits lightly with honey or maple syrup before serving.
Notes
Keep the butter and buttermilk cold, and chill the dough for 10 minutes between folds if the butter starts to smear. Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling; if homemade puree is wet, drain it in a paper towel lined sieve for 20 minutes. Leave a ½ inch border, use no more than 2 tablespoons of filling per biscuit, and crimp the edges with a fork. Press the cutter straight down without twisting. Preheat the oven to 400°F while you shape the biscuits, and chill the filled biscuits for 10 minutes if the dough is soft. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes. Baked biscuits freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 490Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 9gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 81mgSodium 530mgCarbohydrates 76gFiber 4gSugar 11gProtein 12g
