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Maple Pecan Scones

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Maple Pecan Scones – Fluffy cream scones loaded with pecans and covered in maple icing

angled shot of maple pecan scone on plate covered with chopped pecans and more scones in the background on a baking sheet

Fall is officially here! Not only have we reached the fall solstice, but the weather has turned perfectly cool and everywhere you look there is pumpkin this and pumpkin that. Now, if only I could muster up the energy to decorate the house for the season!

What I do have energy for is fall baking. I’ve already made a couple pumpkin loaves to satisfy the initial cravings. And now I am moving on to more sophisticated fall flavors. I mean, why should pumpkin get all the love this time of year?

Maple is another great comforting flavor that’s popular this time of year. It doesn’t get utilized enough, in my opinion, so I am happy to say that today’s recipe is here to change that.

I present to you some of the fluffiest, richest scones you’ll ever try – my Maple Pecan Scones!

zoomed in shot of maple pecan scone on a baking sheet surrounded by pecans
angled shot of maple pecan scone on a baking sheet surrounded by pecans
sot of maple pecan scones on a baking sheet surrounded by pecans

What makes a scone?

Scones are a dense pastry made with flour, sugar, milk/cream and some sort of levener (baking soda or baking powder). Sometimes they have eggs and butter, but not always. For my version today, there are no eggs but definitely butter.

With regards to the texture of scones, they are very similar to biscuits, especially the scone recipes that use butter. These maple pecan scones use a whole stick of butter that’s kept cold, which further adds a flaky texture to the scone.

To further distinguish a scone from a biscuit, you’ll usually see scones topped with coarse sugar or icing.

How to make maple pecan scones

If you’re looking for a quick and easy fall recipe, this is definitely it! There are few ingredients and even fewer steps to making these scones. Plus, there is no waiting time that needs to get factored in – which means you can enjoy these scones as soon as the craving hits!

To make the scones, you’ll start out with the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Next, cold butter needs to get cut into the dry ingredients. My new favorite way to do this is to grate the butter on a box grater. With this method, the butter becomes super small and easy to mix into the dry ingredients.

Next, the cream is added to bring the dough together. It will be a very sticky, wet dough. To make it easier to manage, the dough is placed on a floured surface and more flour is added to the top of the dough. Using your hands, knead the dough and form into a large disk. Now it’s time to cut the disk into wedges.

process shot of scone dough speckled with pecans and cut into wedges

Once you’ve cut the scones into wedges, they’re moved to a baking sheet and brushed with cream to give them a beautiful crust on top as they bake. Then they’re baked in a 400-degree oven for just 15 minutes.

zoomed shot of baked pecan scone without icing
Maple Icing

Once the scones have been removed from the oven and cooled slightly, it’s time for the best part – the icing! My sister and husband both agreed that this icing is ADDICTIVE and some of the best they’ve ever had. Icing can be boring and bland but not this kind – it’s made with butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup so there’s no way “bland” could be used to describe it.

The icing is made in the microwave to break down the brown sugar and ensure it doesn’t add a gritty texture to the icing. Additionally, heating the icing thins it out a little so it can drizzle easily but then firm up when it cools.

Once the icing is made, it’s spooned over the baked scones to cover the tops. You can even dip the tops of the scones into the icing, but make sure to let the excess icing drip off.

Tips & Tricks

  1. Do not overmix the dough. This will result in tough scones.
  2. Be careful when microwaving the icing. If it gets too hot, it will bubble high and could overflow. This is why I microwave in 30-second intervals.
  3. Let the scones cool almost completely before icing them. Otherwise, the icing will not set and it will drip off the scone.
shot of maple pecan scone sitting on plate with chopped pecans and a few bites missing from the scone
Print Recipe

Maple Pecan Scones

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Cooling time:15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Servings: 6 scones

Ingredients

For the scones:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • 1 stick butter cold, unsalted
  • 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
For the maple icing:
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

For the scones:
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment or a silicone mat. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pecans. Using a box grater, grate butter over the flour mixture. Mix together with dry ingredients, clinching the butter in your fists to break it down even more.
  • Create a well in the center of the flour/butter mixture. Add cream or half and half. Using a wooden spoon, gently combined the cream with the dry ingredients until wet batter forms. Do not over mix.
  • Flour a clean countertop with 2 tablespoons of flour. Pour out dough onto counter (it will be super sticky). Cover with 2 more tablespoons of flour and gently knead the dough about 5 times to make it easy to manage and no longer sticky. Form into a flat disk, about 6 inches in diameter. Cut disk into 6-8 even wedges and transfer to prepared baking sheet, keeping the wedges about 2 inches from each other.
  • Brush the wedges with cream or half and half and bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before icing them.
For the maple icing:
  • Add all ingredients, except from powdered sugar to a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir. Microwave again and then stir again. Add in powdered sugar and stir vigorously until the clumps of sugar dissolve.
  • Using a spoon, drizzle icing over the tops of the scones. Use the back of the spoon to spread it over the surface. Serve immediately or let them finish cooling. Icing will set up firm in about 10 minutes (as long as scones are cool).

Pin for later:

collage shot of maple pecan scones with descriptive text

More recipes you’ll love:

Iced Pumpkin Scones
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Pecan Sticky Buns
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Banana Bread Doughnuts
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Comments

  1. nikhil_reddy says

    The maple icing on these sounds like the right kind of sweetness, not overwhelming. Pecans in scones can go either way, but toasted properly they add that needed crunch against the soft crumb. Pumpkin does tend to dominate fall baking conversations, so shifting focus to maple makes sense. The cream-based approach here probably explains the fluffiness the author mentions. Scones made with cream rather than milk have a different richness that holds up to bolder flavors. These would pair well with coffee on a cool morning without feeling too heavy.

    Reply

  2. Sebastian H says

    The maple icing detail caught my attention. Most scone recipes stop at the basic dough, but that extra layer of glaze sounds like it would balance the nuttiness without overwhelming it. Pecans can go from toasted to burnt so quickly, so the timing on those must be precise. These seem like they’d hold up better than the crumbly versions that fall apart the moment you pick them up. A solid choice for when you want something autumnal that isn’t yet another pumpkin spice variation.

    Reply

  3. Katharina Wagner says

    The maple icing detail caught my attention. Most scone recipes stop at the mix-in stage, but that extra layer of flavor on top makes sense for something this rich. Pecans and maple already share that warm, almost buttery quality, so doubling down with icing feels like the right move rather than overkill. The timing with fall solstice works too. Maple has that same slow, settling feeling as the light changes, without the performative urgency pumpkin carries everywhere right now. These sound like the kind of scones that actually improve with a day of rest, letting the maple deepen.

    Reply

  4. Markus says

    The maple icing on these sounds like the right kind of sweetness, not overwhelming. Pecans always feel like they get overshadowed by walnuts in fall recipes, so it is nice to see them front and center here. The author makes a fair point about pumpkin dominating everything once September hits. Maple has that same warmth without being everywhere already. These seem like they would work for a slow weekend morning when you actually have time to bake something proper. The texture description of fluffy and rich is promising, since scones can go dry so easily. I might try these with a darker maple syrup if I can find it.

    Reply

  11. Natalie says

    I love freshly baked scones on weekend morning. I never tried adding pecans, though. Such a lovely idea! Delicious! I will definitely make this for my family.

    Reply

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