Maple Glazed Cinnamon Pecan Scones
Hello, best dessert-breakfast ever.
Scones are wonderful, crumbly, flaky little things. Or in this case, generously sized things.
I'm all for the idea of a plain scone that you slather in butter or jam. I'm not for putting that idea into motion though. Because I'm not a fan of jam. Or butter (unless the butter is incorporated into my recipe, duh). I'm still a fan of plain scones though. Just without the butter and jam.
Savory scones I can really get behind. Especially cheddar green onion scones. Because I definitely am a fan of cheddar cheese and scallions.
And then there are sweet scones. Scones made with a nice helping of sugar to sweeten up the dough just a bit, plus some lovely add-ins mixed in to take the scone to a whole new sweet-scone level.
Chocolate chips would be one example of an add-in. Chocolate chip scones. Who could resist?
But what about sweet scones with crunchy, nutty, toasted pecan bits in every bite? Plus a sweet, glossy, cinnamon-maple glaze poured on top of 'em? I am SO in.
And that's what we've got here. Lightly sweetened scones studded with chopped pecans. Toasted pecans. TOAST THOSE PECANS.
Seriously, the flavor added from placing your pecans in the oven for 8 minutes until the pecans are golden-brown and emitting a glorious, nutty aroma is insane.
And what complements some rich, toasted pecans better than cinnamon and maple syrup? Not much. It just makes sense. Pecans. With cinnamon. And maple syrup. Natural pairings.
There's maple syrup in the glaze. And cinnamon in the dough. And in the glaze. It felt right.
The recipe for these maple pecan scones is a spin-off of my green onion cheddar scone recipe. The recipe is a keeper. It produces scones that have an ideal texture.
Scones can be soft, caky, and tender. But they can also be flaky and crispy. These pecan scones are a happy medium of the two. Butter works to make the scones crispy, and heavy cream helps the scones out with the tender, caky aspect.
And then there's also an egg. For just a little more softness and tenderness. But there's still the butter. Because we don't want these all fluffy and cloud-like and without that nice flaky, crispy exterior for some contrast.
The dough for these maple-glazed scones isn't as sweet as your average cake batter. It's not supposed to be. Scones aren't cake. They're scones.
But I still wanted the scones to be sweetish. Which is where the maple-cinnamon glaze comes in. The glaze adds that sticky, glossy, comforting sweetness your heart will desire.
And let's not forget the pecan pieces. The crunchy pecan chunks embedded into the tender, fluffy, just a tad crispy, cinnamony scones and also sprinkled atop the scones once they're drizzled (or doused) in the maple glaze. They make my world go round.
Glass of milk. Maple glazed cinnamon pecan scone. Breakfast (and lunch and dinner), sorted.
maple glazed cinnamon pecan scones
Yield: 12-16 scones
2 cups packed flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 oz.) cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup cold heavy cream
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups pecans, chopped + toasted
Maple Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter (or oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Spread the chopped pecans onto first baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until pecans are golden-brown and smell nutty. Let cool completely.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. (Alternatively, make recipe in a bowl by hand or with a dough blender.)
Pour in cubed butter and pulse 3-4 times, or until you have pea-sized crumbs. Don't over-mix. If mixture turns yellow, you've over-mixed.
Pour in heavy cream, egg, and vanilla extract and pulse a few more times until you get coarse crumbs again. Stir in 1 cup of the cooled, toasted pecans by hand. Reserve 1/3 cup of pecans for topping.
Pour dough out onto lightly floured surface and divide dough into two.
Flatten first half of dough till it's about a 3/4-inch thick disk. Slice disk into 6-8 triangles. Repeat with 2nd half of the dough.
Spread scones out onto baking sheet. Bake scones for 15-17 minutes, or until bottoms are a deep golden brown. Let cool before glazing.
Maple Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together all glaze ingredients. Spoon glaze onto cooled scones, letting glaze drip down sides of scones. Alternatively, drizzle glaze over scones in zig-zag pattern. Sprinkle remaining toasted pecans over scones before glaze hardens.
Serve fresh or re-heat next day.
