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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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More recipes you’ll love:

Iced Pumpkin Scones

Pecan Sticky Buns

Banana Bread Doughnuts