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Pumpkin Spice Shortcakes are the perfect fall treat, infused with warm autumn spices and filled with maple apples and creamy, protein-packed vanilla bean ice cream. This post is brought to you in collaboration with ProYo.

The weather has finally dropped. Although, I must say, it was pretty dramatic. Just last week it was 99 degrees and now it’s a brisk 58.

I love it, though. I’m sitting here typing this, sipping my coffee and wearing a sweatshirt. If you ask me, sweatshirt weather is the perfect weather. I also really, really love sweatshirts. Preferably of the super-cozy, oversized variety.

And since it’s officially “Pumpkin Spice Season” (yep, it has its own season), I’m dreaming of and making all the pumpkin-y things.

Pumpkin Spice Turmeric Tea Lattes. Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Naturally sweetened and dairy-free Coconut Oil Pumpkin Muffins. Pumpkin Spice Lattes, in a healthier smoothie-version. Maple and Bacon Pumpkin Cupcakes and Pumpkin Cocao Nib Bread! (Takes a breath.) That’s a lot of pumpkin spice #inspo right there.

But it’s the start of a new season and I’m here to bring you even more, with these Pumpkin Spice Shortcakes.

So let’s briefly discuss the art of the shortcake. A lot of people get intimidated by making shortcakes or biscuits, but I promise you: it’s really easy. It requires minimal equipment and is fairly quick to make. You can use a food processor, but I like to use a pastry cutter (or even a good ole fork). I always like to choose working with doughs by hand instead of a machine, if I have that choice, because it gives me much more control.

And if you don’t have a biscuit cutter, use a glass! So you could basically make these Pumpkin Spice Shortcakes with just a bowl, a fork, and a drinking glass. All things you have on hand already.

There are some important things I want to reiterate about making the perfect shortcake, though:

Make sure your butter is very, very cold. If the butter softens at all while cutting it into cubes or while being on the counter, place your cubed butter in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.
Don’t overwork the dough. While mixing it in the bowl, mix until just barely combined and then knead very gently until it just comes together. The same goes for re-rolling to do your second cuts. I never re-roll shortcake dough more than twice, as it will become much more tough the more it is worked.
Using a pastry cutter (or fork!) is my preferred method, and the butter should resemble pea-sized pieces (see image below). Do not over-mix the butter. You should still be able to see butter pieces in your dough, even when it’s rolled out. Mixing the dough by hand (or kneading it/working it too much) will cause the butter to melt by the heat of your hands, which you definitely don’t want.

To finish these perfectly-fall Pumpkin Spice Shortcakes, they get filled with easy, maple-infused sautéed apples and vanilla bean ice cream.

My ice cream of choice for this recipe is ProYo’s Vanilla Bean. ProYo’s line of low-fat, high-protein ice creams are delicious. I’m all about moderation and having some cheat days, but I do still like to make desserts that are a bit healthier when possible. Shortcakes aren’t necessarily the healthiest thing, so why not fill them with a more nutritious option? I love ProYo’s ice creams for this! Their ice creams are low in fat, high in protein and fiber, gluten- and soy-free, and non-GMO. They are also low-glycemic, rBST- and rBGH-free, and made with absolutely no artificial ingredients.

Plus, they truly do taste amazing. My husband ate a whole container (not recommending you do this) and thought it was just regular, good old-fashioned ice cream. When I told him the ice cream he was eating was made with clean, quality ingredients, non-GMO, contained 35g of protein per container and prebiotic fiber, he didn’t really believe me. I wouldn’t either, based on how amazing they taste. (Try Mocha, Mint Chip, Salted Caramel Crunch, and Dark Chocolate Toffee, #yum.) That’s why I love ProYo and their motto of creating “food with purpose.”

I hope that you can make and enjoy these Pumpkin Spice Shortcakes for yourself, too! Find ProYo at a store near you (or order online!) and visit their Recipe section for tons of delicious recipe inspiration. Also be sure to follow us on Instagram as we will be doing a giveaway with ProYo! What are your favorite pumpkin-spice fall treats? Let me know in the comments below.

And here’s a few things you may need for this recipe:

Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Pastry Cutter // 5-Piece Stainless Steel Biscuit Cutter Set // Cuisinart Pro Custom 11-Cup Food Processor // Simply Organic Pumpkin Spice // Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract // Simply Organic Cinnamon Sugar Trio // Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet

This post contains affiliate links, and are always products I highly recommend, love, & use in my own kitchen.

Pumpkin Spice Shortcakes with Maple Apples and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Author: Tiffany
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

Scale

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Spice Shortcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 ounces very cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cubed
3/4 cup Half & Half
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
Melted butter and cinnamon sugar, for topping

For the Filling:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
ProYo Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Make the shortcakes. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and baking powder. Cut the 4 ounces of very cold butter into cubes. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until small pea-sized pieces remain. Do not overmix. (Alternatively, you can do this part in a food processor by pulsing, but be careful not to overmix.)
Pour in the Half & Half and vanilla and mix gently until just combined. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead very gently. Pat down or slightly roll with a rolling pin to 3/4″ thickness. Using a 3″ biscuit cutter, cut the dough into 8 rounds, rerolling the scraps as needed.
Transfer the shortcakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake the shortcakes until just golden and baked through, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool.
In the meantime, make the filling. Melt the butter and cook the apple slices over medium heat until softened. Stir in the maple syrup, pinch of salt, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Simmer one minute and remove from heat.
Slice each shortcake in the middle. Fill the shortcakes with the warm maple apples and top with the vanilla bean ice cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!