This post may contain affiliate links. Read my Disclosure page.
To be completely honest, I’ve always had the idea in my head that scones were boring, tasteless hockey pucks. And I mean, if there’s no chocolate or an absurd amount of sugar involved in a baked good, then why make it, right?
Wrong!
Believe it or not… these spiced maple pecan scones have actually changed my entire perspective on scones and I can’t wait to experiment with more flavors!
As always, when starting a new recipe, I turned to Google to research and learn everything I possibly could about scones. One thing that I’ve found to be an absolute must when making scones (let's call it the golden rule for scone making).... is to keep your ingredients, especially your butter, cold. The little bits of cold butter melt and make steam which is essential to the rise and texture of your scones. If the butter is too warm, it will incorporate into the dry ingredients and those little pockets of butter and steam will be gone which leaves you with a flat, dense scone rather than a light and flaky one.
I like to freeze my stick of butter and then grate it on a box grater just like you would cheese.
Yes… grate your butter.
It’s actually kinda fun to do, plus it makes for a really quick and simple dough to throw together. I had these scones in the oven within 15 minutes of deciding I was going to make them. Hello, easy!
Now look, I know some of you are over here thinking about the fact that maple pecan screams fall / winter and here we are coming into spring… but guess what! OH WELL.
I’m so obsessed with this flavor combination (hello brown butter maple pecan cinnamon buns) and a full proponent that it should be enjoyed year-round. So get on it by making these scones!
In my opinion, these are best served when they are still a bit warm. They melt in your mouth at that point. I mean yes, they are definitely still good once they cool off completely, but just like many other baked goods, they are just indescribably amazing when eaten warm.
As always, read the entire recipe before beginning. Have fun and get baking!
Spiced Maple Pecan Scones
Ingredients
For the Scones:
- 1⅓ cups pecan halves chopped
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter cubed or grated
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Maple Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2-3 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Spread chopped pecans evenly over one of the baking sheets and toast in the oven for about 4-5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and granulated sugar. Add the grated/cubed butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a fork (or use your fingers) until you have small pea-sized crumbs.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix until the dough starts to come together (it will be a little shaggy).
- Add in 1 cup of the cooled toasted pecans and gently fold them in.
- Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface, work it together with your hands, and form it into a ball. The dough may seem crumbly or dry at first, but it will come together as you lightly knead it with your hands. (Keyword: lightly! Don’t over-knead your dough).
- Flatten the ball of dough into a square disc that is approximately 1-inch thick, cut into 9 equal sized pieces, and place each piece on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops of each scone with a little bit of milk or melted butter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- To make the glaze: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and heavy cream until fully combined. If the glaze is too thick, mix in a little extra heavy cream.
- Spoon the glaze on top of each scone and sprinkle with the remaining toasted pecans. Then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
MikeBakesNYC LLC owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this website unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my Disclosure page. This post may contain affiliate links.
Kimberly
I'm so excited I'm making these for brunch in the morning and will top with a little bacon!!!! I'm not to best at knowing exactly how to KNEAD but I pray I get this right!
Tom
I've been searching for a great scone recipe for months, and have tried several. This is the best by far. The only change I made was to use 1 cup whole wheat flour in place of 1 cup all purpose. You could add chocolate chips or use walnuts instead of pecans. You could add a bit of maple flavoring as well.