I love scones – crumbly, buttery, and tender, not cakey and soft like a muffin. I love how the maple flavor shines through in this recipe for How to Make Maple Pecan Scones.

Topped with sweet icing and chopped pecans, these scones are fantastic served with a cup of hot tea or coffee. Serve these on a cool, Autumn morning to your favorite group of girlfriends.

Maple Pecan Scones Recipe

Howdy! Chef Alli Here. Let’s Get You Cookin’…. Shall We?? 🙂

My Aunt Marylou introduced me to scones. She fell in love with the afternoon celebration of tea when visiting England and she taught me to enjoy the custom as well. So, of course, that’s where scones came into the picture – I was immediately smitten!

These scones are a revised Pioneer Woman (aka Ree Drummond) recipe and I think of all the scones I’ve enjoyed, these are my absolute fav and I make them all the time for my family and close friends.

Since I have a big sweet tooth, I also enjoy lots of desserts. White Chocolate Strawberry Poke Cake is a favorite summer cake….and so is Berry-Good No Bake Cake. Have you ever made a Watermelon Dessert Cake? It definitely tastes like summer. And please don’t overlook Summer Berry Napoleons and With Honey-Baked WonTon Wrappers.

What to love about maple pecan scones –

Scones are like a buttery sweet biscuit, dense in texture.
Icing! Drizzle these scones with as much or as little of maple frosting that your little heart desires.
Make a big batch, then freeze the dough or bake the scones and freeze in an air-tight container to reheat later.

Ingredients you need to make this recipe

Scones

Dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, kosher salt
Butter
Chopped pecans
An egg
Heavy cream or buttermilk

Icing

Confectioners’ sugar
Milk
Butter
Brewed coffee
Maple flavoring or extract

How to make maple pecan scones

**Print the full recipe from the RECIPE CARD at the bottom of this post

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and finely chopped pecans. Add the butter chunks to the flour mixture; using a pastry blender (or a knife and fork) cut the butter pieces into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs.

Combine the egg and cream together, then stir into the flour mixture, taking care not to over mix the dough; turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.

The dough may be kind of crumbly at this point but don’t worry. Using your hands, push the mixture together into a large bundle, then form it into a disc of dough.

Use your favorite rolling pin to flatten the disc into an 8-inch or 9-inch circumference, about 3/4-inch thick. With a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 equal-size wedges.

Transfer the wedges onto a greased baking sheet. Bake the scones on the center rack of the preheated oven for 22-26 minutes or until the scones are golden brown and set to the touch as the center.

Remove the scones from the baking sheet to a cooling rack; cool completely. While the scones are cooling, combine the icing ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, beating until smooth.

Frost the cooled scones, by drizzling them with icing; while the icing is still soft, sprinkle with finely chopped pecans then allow the icing to set. Serve the scones with a hot cup of tea or coffee on a chilly Autumn morn. Enjoy!

Common Questions Asked About This Recipe

Which tools are helpful when making and baking scones?

A deep mixing bowl – I prefer mixing bowls that have a silicone handle grip and also a silicone bottom. The silicone makes it easier to hold onto the bowl and also keeps it in place better on the counter as you’re working. I also like how this set nests together for storage.

Silicone Spatula Spoons – Of all the tools in my kitchen, silicone spatula spoons are what I use the most. They make stirring and sautéing a breeze and I love all the pretty silicone colors available. Silicone spatula spoons are completely heat-proof so they won’t melt, even when used over high temperatures. I like to have different sizes on hand for different kitchen tasks – soooo handy!

Rimmed baking sheet – Heavy-duty bakeware is essential for proper browning. I like aluminum baking sheets with a rimmed edge, 13×18 inches in size.

Pastry blender – this kitchen tool works great for getting uniform pieces of butter blended into flour to make dough. I use my pastry blender for making small batches of dough and my food processor for making larger batches.

Food processor – A food processor makes the job of making dough and pie crust quick and easy….all at the push of a button. I have an 11-cup Cuisinart food processor that I use all the time. Yes, it’s a bit of an investment, but also a tool that will probably last you a lifetime.

Bench scraper – I love this tool! A bench scraper is handy so cutting the scone dough (or any dough for that matter) into wedges. It’s also a handy tool for cutting bar cookies and for lifting chopped vegetables from a cutting board to a skillet or bowl.

Rolling pin – My rolling pin of preference is a French 16-inch wooden rolling pin; the tapered design makes it easy to maneuver when rolling out dough.

How is a scone different than a muffin?

In general, because scones are baked on a baking sheet, they are flatter and wider, often triangular in shape, while muffins are perfectly round since they haven been baked in a muffin tin . Muffins are more cake-like in texture and scones are similar to a biscuit in texture.

What’s the difference between a scone and biscuit?

Scones are typically made with cream and eggs; they are sweeter, a bit drier in texture, may contain fruit and are often frosted. Biscuits, on the other hand, are most often made with buttermilk and no eggs; they are soft, flaky, and are not sweet in flavor like scones.

How are British and American scones different from one another?

British and American scones are quite different in nature. American scones come in lots and lots of different flavors and often made with fruits. British scones are more simple and made with fewer ingredients.

British scones are more plain in flavor profile, made to be topped with sweet jams, clotted cream, or lemon curd. American scones are designed to be eaten alone since they are sweeter and almost always have a light frosting or a drizzle of icing on top.

British scones are also quite different in shape. Instead of the triangular shape of American scones, British scones look much like very tall and very round American biscuits.

Why are scones so popular?

It’s all thanks to Queen Victoria. One afternoon, Anna, Duchess of Bedford, who was a close friend of Queen Victoria, requested some lighter fare for entertaining the Queen. The cook came up with tea and scones for them to enjoy. It’s been an essential part of the ritual of afternoon tea in England since the mid 1800’s.

Can I freeze scones?

You sure can and there’s a couple of different ways. I like to make the dough through the step of where you cut them into triangles; at that point, I freeze them to bake later. Or, you can go ahead and bake the scones; once cooled, freeze them and glaze later when they’ve thawed and you’re ready to serve.

More Favorite Recipes to Enjoy –

Printable Maple Pecan Scones Recipe

A big fat maple pecan scone on a cooling rack.

Maple Pecan Scones

I love scones - crumbly, buttery, and tender, not cakey and soft like a muffin. I love how the maple flavor shines through in this recipe for Maple Pecan Scones. Topped with sweet icing and chopped pecans, these scones are fantastic served with a cup of hot tea or coffee. Serve these on a cool, Autumn morning to your favorite group of girlfriends.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 45

Servings: 8 scones

Calories: 593kcal

Ingredients

Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small chunks
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
1 large egg
3/4 cup heavy cream or buttermilk
finely chopped toasted pecans, for garnishing, optional

Maple Icing

1 lb. confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 splash strongly brewed coffee
Dash of salt
2 tsp. maple flavoring or maple extract

Instructions

Make and Bake the Scones

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt; add the butter chunks to the flour mixture.
Using a pastry blender (or a knife and a fork), cut the butter chunks into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs. **See Notes
Now finely chop the pecans and stir them into the flour mixture. Mix the egg and cream together; add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Turn the dough mixture onto lightly floured work surface. The dough may be rather crumbly at this point, but don't worry. Using your hands, push the mixture together into a large bundle, then form it into a disc of dough.
Use your favorite rolling pin to flatten the disc into an 8-inch or 9-inch circumference, about 3/4-inch thick. With a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 equal-size triangular wedges.
Transfer the scones to a greased rimmed baking sheet. Bake the scones for 22 to 26 minutes, until they're just golden brown and set to the touch at the center. Remove scones from the baking sheet to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Make the Maple Icing

While the scones are cooling, combine the frosting ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, beating until smooth. **If needed, adjust the liquid ingredients to make the desired consistency.
Frost the cooled scones, drizzling them with icing; while the icing is still soft, sprinkle with finely chopped pecans then allow the icing to set.
Serve with a hot cup of tea or strong coffee on a chilly Autumn morn. Enjoy!

Notes

**Be sure to check the blog post for tips and tricks, specific instructions, recommended tools, and FAQ’s for making this recipe.

**To make the dough in a food processor, place the dry ingredients into the food processor bowl; pulse a couple of times to combine everything. Add the chilled butter chunks, then pulse the food processor again, until the mixture resembles crumbs. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

Course: Afternoon Tea, Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine: British

Keyword: how to make scones, scones

Nutrition

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Let’s Get You Cookin’,
Chef Alli

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How to Make Maple Pecan Scones

Maple Pecan Scones Recipe