Glazed Maple Pecan Scones
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Full of maple flavor, speckled with pecans, and topped with a sweet maple glaze, these Glazed Maple Pecan Scones are light and flaky. They’re the perfect treat to share with your loved ones during the holiday season.
Soft & Flaky Maple Scones
I love coming up with new recipes and sharing food is one way I love to show my friends and family how much I care. While I do that year-round, I find myself sharing my favorite recipes more during this time of year.
These Glazed Maple Pecan Scones are one of my favorite treats to share during the fall and winter season.
This scone recipe starts with my soft scones dough, to ensure that soft, flaky texture. They’re sweetened with brown sugar and maple syrup, for a rich sweetness and maple flavor throughout and then laced with pecans.
Maple and pecan is a favorite fall flavor combo. I love the contrast of the sweet tender scone and crunchy, nutty pecans. I could eat this flavor of scone all day long.
They’re buttery, light, and taste just like fall. Hints of maple and crunchy pecans fill each bite. For the best experience, enjoy them warm from the oven – though they’ll be tasty the next day too!
What You’ll Need
Like most scones, this maple pecan scone recipe is made with your basic ingredients like flour and brown sugar, and, of course, maple syrup and pecans.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder & baking soda – Helps the scones reach just the right texture.
- Salt
- Light brown sugar – The molasses flavor of brown sugar is a great complement to the other flavors. You can also use granulated sugar.
- Pure maple syrup – Using pure maple syrup is essential, no artificial versions! It adds that delightful maple flavor to every bite.
- Heavy cream – You can also use milk.
- Egg – My secret to super soft scones.
- Vanilla extract – Adds a light flavor.
- Butter – Use cold butter that’s cut into small cubes. Be sure it’s unsalted.
- Pecans – Coarsely chop them into pieces.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk should be cold. I do not recommend substituting it. However, you can make homemade buttermilk by combining whole milk with lemon juice.
- Confectioner’s sugar – Is needed for the glaze to add stability and help it “set”.
Helpful Items
Pastry blender: I find that a pastry cutter works best for cutting the butter into the flour mixture. If you don’t have one, you can use the tines of a fork.
Parchment paper: Lining your baking sheet with parchment paper makes for easy clean-up!
Sharp knife: Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into triangles. Or you can also use a bench scraper if you have one.
Pastry brush: Brush heavy cream over the scones by using a pastry brush.
How to Make Maple Pecan Scones
Making these delicious scones is quick and easy. You need only a mixing bowl and spatula to make the dough and it requires just 30 minutes of chill time!
Make the scone dough. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like coarse crumbs. Fold in the pecans.
In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla. Gradually add it to the flour mixture, stirring until the dough comes together.
You may not need all the buttermilk, just add a little at a time until the mixture is moist but not too well.
Shape the dough. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead four or five times. Skip the rolling pin and just pat the dough into a circle. Cut into 8 triangles.
Freeze. Arrange on a prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Bake. Brush the tops of the scones with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the glaze. In a small bowl, stir together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the warm scones.
Tips for Success
For the best pecan scones, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Make sure you use pure maple syrup. You want 100% of that maple goodness without all the extras. You will really be able to taste in the glaze, so it’s important to use the real deal.
- How to shape the scones. I like to shape the dough into a disk and then cut it into wedges. Alternatively, you can scoop the dough with a large cookie scoop and place them 2-inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Should I add the glaze while the scones are warm? You can wait until the scones cool before glazing the top so it goes on nice and thick. Or you can glaze them while they are fresh out of the oven for a thin layer of glaze.
- Add more pecans. While the recipe calls for ½ cup (56 g) chopped pecans, I’ve made them with a whole cup. I prefer the texture of more pecans as it adds extra crunch to the pecans. If you prefer more texture as well, go ahead and double the amount of pecans added.
- Avoid dense scones. Measure the flour correctly so that you are not using too much flour. Also don’t overwork the dough. It should be loose and shaggy but hold together when squeezed, much like the dough for pie crust.
Serving Suggestions
These Glazed Maple Pecan Scones are the perfect breakfast alongside a hot cup of coffee or tea on a cold morning! Of course, you can also enjoy them in the afternoon or as dessert as well.
How to Store
- How to store unbaked scones. Unbaked scones can be refrigerated overnight. You can also freeze them for up to a month. Add 2 minutes to the baking time if baking from frozen.
- How to store baked scones. Scones are best when enjoyed immediately but they will last for up to 2 days at room temperature, in an airtight container.
- Can I freeze scones? These scones can be frozen for 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge then bring to room temperature.
More scone recipes you’ll love
- Blueberry Buttermilk Scones
- Lemon Cream Cheese Scones with Strawberries
- Sweet Potato Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze
- Vanilla Cardamom Scones
- Peach Almond Scones
- Chocolate Chip Scones
Glazed Maple Pecan Scones
Ingredients
For the scones
- 2 ¾ cups (358 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ½ cup (56 g) coarsely chopped pecans
- ¾ cup (180 ml) cold buttermilk
- ¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream, or milk
For the glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioners' sugar
- 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Instructions
Make the scones
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingertips. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Fold in the pecans.
- Whisk the buttermilk, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla together. Gradually add it to the flour mixture. Stir just until the dough comes together. You may not need all the buttermilk. Add a little at a time until the mixture is moist but not too wet. Do not over mix the dough or the scones will be tough.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough four or five times. Pat the dough into a 7 inch round circle. Cut the circle in half, then cut each half into four triangle-shaped wedges. You should have 8 triangles.
- Arrange the scones 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the scones in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Position the oven rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F.
- Brush the tops of the scones with milk or cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Make the glaze
- In a small bowl, stir the confectioner’s sugar and maple syrup together until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the warm scones. Scones are best enjoyed right away.
Notes
- Sugar: Brown sugar offers warm notes of molasses. You can use regular granulated sugar if preferred.
- Buttermilk: This is required. There are no substitutions.
- Pecans: Feel free to swap the pecans for your preferred choice of nuts.
- Maple syrup: Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
- Unbaked scones can be refrigerated overnight. Or seal in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Add about 2 minutes to the baking time when baking from frozen.
- Baked scones will keep for up to 2 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
- Scones can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
Coming from Scotland, the land of scones, I can say I’ve tried many recipes for them! But I’ve never seen this recipe and they sound wonderful! I’m thinking I have to try them! My Significant Other doesn’t like nuts (of any kind! Can you believe that?!) but he loves Maple syrup, and it would be so easy to do some with nuts and some without! So that’s my plan! I do have to say, I do like fruity, how scots refer to raisins/sultanas in them, scones (for those that aren’t sure, we pronounce it ‘scawns’) so I may add a cup of raisins too! Fruit & nut – what’s not to love! So I’ll be trying this recipe as soon as I get some buttermilk tomorrow!
Just a wee point that I’ve noticed… many USA recipes I see for scones, are made in the round then cut into wedges, while here in Scotland they’re usually seen as dough just rolled out quite thickly & cut with round cutters, and set on a baking sheet, so they rise to about 2 inches or so tall. But either way… I say they’re delish with a morning cuppa – be it coffee or tea!! 🙂
Thank you so much for the recipe, Jen! Can’t wait to try it! 🙂
For some reason, the website would not allow me to rate this recipe 5/5 stars, only 4/5. But it was definitely a 5-star recipe! These are my new favorite scones! I love that you included the measurements by weight as well as volume; baking using weight is so much easier & more accurate. I followed your recipe except for the icing. In its place, I made a maple cream cheese icing. It paired perfectly! I will certainly be making these again!
Glazed Maple Pecan Scones Just made these for the first time, absolutely amazing. Went down a storm as an afternoon treat