These scones are tender inside with crisp, golden edges and visible layers from cold butter. Maple adds flavor and texture. Best with Madagascar vanilla (rich, creamy, classic); any pure vanilla works.
Vanilla Pecan Maple Scones
Ingredients
Validated ingredient scaling range: 4–16 scones. Cooking time and doneness cues remain authoritative; scale ingredients only within this range.
- 2 ½ cups (300.0 g)all-purpose flour
- 6.0 tbsp (80.0 g)granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113.0 g)cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cup (180.0 ml)heavy cream
- 1.0 (50.0 g)large egg
- 1.0 tbsp (12.0 g)baking powder
- ½ tsp (3.0 g)fine sea salt
- ½ (2.0 g)VanillaGoods vanilla bean, split and scraped
- ¾ cup (85.0 g)toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
Flavor Accent
- 1 ¾ tbsp (20.0 g)pure maple sugar
Make it at home
- Must-have Spring Chef Pastry Blender Cuts cold butter in fast for flaky layers. View on Amazon › (opens in a new tab)
- Makes it easier Stainless Bench Scraper Lifts, cuts and squares off dough cleanly. View on Amazon › (opens in a new tab)
- Worth the upgrade Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor Pastry dough, crumbs and nut flours in seconds. View on Amazon › (opens in a new tab)
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Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Stir the maple sugar into the granulated sugar until evenly blended with no clumps; use this mixture wherever the recipe calls for sugar.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until most pieces are pea-sized, with a few smaller flakes. Visible pieces of cold butter help create a tender, layered scone.
- Whisk the cream, egg, and vanilla together. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and fold until a shaggy dough forms, adding the toasted pecans during the final few folds. Stop before the dough becomes smooth; the pecans should be distributed without overworking the dough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, pat it into a 1-inch-thick disk, and cut it into 8 wedges. Transfer the wedges to the prepared sheet.
- Bake for 16 to 20 minutes. The scones should be well risen with golden tops and browned edges.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips
- Optional add-in, cacao nibs: fold 85 g cacao nibs into the finished dough or batter just until evenly distributed.
- Optional finish, cocoa dusting (1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder): sift the finishing cocoa through a fine sieve in a light, even cocoa dusting over the fully cooled scones just before serving. The finish should stay on the surface without melting into the dessert.
- Optional finish, cream cheese glaze (3 oz cream cheese, softened, ¾ cup confectioners' sugar, 1 tbsp whole milk): beat the softened cream cheese until smooth, then gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar and milk. Drizzle or spread over the fully cooled scones.
- Optional finish, honey glaze (¾ cup confectioners' sugar, 1½ tbsp honey, 1 tbsp whole milk): whisk the confectioners' sugar, honey, and milk until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the fully cooled scones.
- Optional finish, vanilla glaze (1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1½ tbsp whole milk, ½ tsp VanillaGoods vanilla extract): whisk the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle over the fully cooled scones.
- Add any glaze or dusting only after the scones have cooled completely, about 30 minutes.
- No vanilla bean? Use 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla powder instead. Add it where the recipe adds the seeds; if the bean is steeped in hot milk or cream, stir the swap in after cooking, off the heat.
- Best vanilla for this: Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic), or Mexican (spiced, warm, woodsy). Any pure vanilla works.
Recipe FAQ
How long does it take to make vanilla pecan maple scones?
Plan on 20 minutes of prep and 18 minutes of cooking, plus 10 minutes to rest, chill, or cool. It makes 8 scones.
Can I use a different form of vanilla?
No vanilla bean? Use 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla powder instead. Add it where the recipe adds the seeds; if the bean is steeped in hot milk or cream, stir the swap in after cooking, off the heat.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.
Whole recipe (8 servings): ~3544 cal · 225g fat · 343g carbs · 50g protein · 106g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
Per serving · 443 calories
What it takes to burn one serving
- Brisk walking 84 min·4.9 mi·~9850 steps
- Walking uphill or incline treadmill 60 min·3.0 mi·~6000 steps
- Moderate cycling 45 min·9.0 mi
- Swimming laps 62 min
- Jogging 43 min·3.6 mi·~6900 steps
- Stair climbing 41 min·~3700 steps
- Dancing 72 min
- Bodyweight circuit training 45 min
- Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 103 min
Rough estimates for one serving, based on standard MET values at about 155 lb. Your own burn depends on body size, effort, and fitness. Shown for context only — food is not something you have to earn.
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