Pecan Pie Scones are the perfect combination of two fall favorites. They’re tender and buttery with crisp, golden edges. The sweet, caramelized nut topping gives a pleasant toasty flavor and a crunchy texture contrast to the scones. They’re delicious with your morning cup of coffee or alongside a pot of afternoon tea. During the holidays, my family enjoys these scones with a drizzle of melted chocolate on top.
Pecan Pie Scones
Tender, buttery pecan scones with brown sugar pecan pie topping
Ingredients
Topping
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons (25g) packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons (12g) powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons (22ml) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) pure maple syrup or corn syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- ½ cup (50g) coarsely chopped pecans
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Scones
- 1 ¾ cups (223g) all purpose flour, sifted
- 2 tablespoons (25g) packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 7 tablespoons (99g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¼ cup (28g) toasted chopped pecans
- ½ cup (118ml) cold heavy cream
- ¼ cup (57g) cold sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Topping
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, heavy cream, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt. Cook until the mixture is bubbly and all of the sugar has dissolved, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the pecans and vanilla extract. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Scones
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until well combined. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until pea-sized pieces are formed. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla until smooth and well blended. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients, just until a shaggy dough is formed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough together and fold it over onto itself a couple of times. Do not overwork the dough. Form the dough into a 6 ½-inch diameter round. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the dough round into 6 wedges. (For smaller scones, cut the dough into 8 wedges. The baking time for smaller scones will be shorter.) Place the wedges onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Chill the scones in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Top each scone evenly with the pecan topping mixture, about 1 tablespoon each. Spread the topping to within ¼-inch of the edges.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Bake the scones until the edges are golden brown and the topping is bubbly, about 19-23 minutes. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack.
Notes
To find the baking sheet I used, click here.
To find parchment paper sheets, click here.