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These maple pecan scones are everything a good scone should be: buttery, flaky, and full of pecan flavor with a hit of real maple. Brown sugar in the dough brings out the nuttiness of the pecans and sets up the maple glaze perfectly.
You’ll love the texture here: soft in the middle with a crisp, golden edge on the outside. A drizzle of maple glaze on top means every bite has a little sweetness to balance the buttery dough.
It’s a simple, from-scratch scone with a maple glaze that’s perfect for breakfast or brunch.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
I always describe scones as a biscuit’s more indulgent cousin. Some scones have egg in the dough and some don’t, but they almost always have something folded in, whether that’s fruit, chocolate, or in this case, pecans. What makes these stand out is the combination of brown sugar and pecans in the dough, plus a maple glaze on top that ties the whole flavor together.
Keeping the butter cold is what gives this maple pecan scones recipe its flaky texture. As the butter melts in the oven, it releases little pockets of steam, and the colder the butter going in, the more those pockets puff up and separate the layers.
The maple glaze adds moisture back into the scones and makes sure every bite tastes like maple, even though the dough itself leans more on brown sugar for its flavor.
Ingredients
- Butter – Keep it cold and cubed right up until you mix it in. Cold butter is what gives these scones their flaky layers.
- Pecans – Be sure to use chopped peans, not ground. They give the dough its crunch and nutty flavor.
- Brown Sugar – Packed brown sugar adds moisture and deepens the nutty flavor of the pecans.
- Maple Syrup – Use real maple syrup in the glaze, not pancake syrup, for the best maple flavor.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Maple Pecan Scones
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter (a fork or two knives works too) until it looks like coarse crumbs. A few larger chunks of butter are fine.
- Stir in the chopped pecans.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and heavy cream. Add this to the dry ingredients and stir until everything is moistened. The dough may look a little rough, but it should come together into a ball when you use your hands.
- Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 6-inch round about ¾ inch thick.
- Cut each round into 8 wedges and separate them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about ½ inch of space between them. Freeze the shaped scones for 30 minutes before baking. This helps them hold their shape and rise higher in the oven.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool briefly. While the scones cool, whisk together the powdered sugar and maple syrup, adding milk a tablespoon at a time until the glaze is a good drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the slightly cooled scones and serve.
Pro Tips
- Freeze the dough even if your butter is very cold. The 30-minute freeze before baking helps the scones hold their shape and rise taller, regardless of how cold your butter was going in.
- Shape one large round instead of two for jumbo scones. Dividing the dough in half gives you 16 standard-size scones, but one large round will give you fewer, bigger scones with the same great flavor.
- Use a pastry cutter for the most even crumbs. A fork or two knives will work in a pinch, but a pastry cutter keeps the butter cold and cuts it into more consistent pieces.
Storage Instructions
Store baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze, wrap the baked and cooled scones individually and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm in a low oven before glazing and serving.
You can also freeze the unbaked, shaped dough wedges. Freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, walnuts or even chopped pistachios would work well in place of pecans.
I recommend brown sugar because it adds moisture and goes great with the pecans and maple, but granulated sugar can be substituted if that’s what you have on hand.
Yes, the glaze can be made a day ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator. Give it a quick whisk before drizzling, since it will thicken slightly as it sits.
Whole milk or half-and-half can be substituted for the heavy cream, though the scones will be a little less rich.
Want more easy breakfast recipes? Try these…
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @practicallyhomemade on Pinterest!
Maple Pecan Scones
Ingredients
Scone Ingredients
- 2¾ cups flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup heavy cream
Maple Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder. Work the cold butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter (a fork or two knives works too); it's fine to have larger chunks of butter remaining. Stir in the chopped pecans. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and heavy cream. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened; the dough should come together into a ball when pressed with your hands. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a 6-inch circle about ¾ inch thick. Cut each circle into 8 wedges, separate them, and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about ½ inch of space between them. Freeze for 30 minutes. Bake for 15–18 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool briefly.
- While the scones cool, prepare the maple glaze: combine powdered sugar and maple syrup, then whisk in milk a tablespoon at a time until you reach a good drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the slightly cooled scones and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
