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Homemade Maple Scones are light and fluffy with nutty pecans in every bite and a buttery maple glaze that takes them over the top. They’re also minimally sweetened, apart from the frosting, so you get all that maple flavor without the sugar rush!
My Favorite Maple Scone Recipe
I first started testing my basic scone recipe years ago and am glad I did because now I can whip up pretty much any type of scones in a pinch.
The food processor helps keep the butter very, very cold while getting the finest little flecks of butter, which turn into tender, flaky scones after baking.
For this recipe, it’s all about getting just enough of that maple flavor.
We’ll use a mixture of both maple syrup AND maple extract, which adds more of that subtle maple flavor.
I like to add the glaze since the scones are so minimally sweetened, and it really takes the maple pecan flavor over the top.
Note: These are cream scones, meaning they have a softer and flakier texture than traditional English scones. You can call them American-style, if you like, but please don’t call them dry!
If you love maple and pecan together, these Maple Pecan Blondies are an absolute must-try. We also love this combo in these chewy Browned Butter Maple Pecan Cookies. So good!
Ingredients
For the scone dough – We’re using the essentials, like all purpose flour, butter, sugar, and baking powder, but we’ll also add maple syrup and maple extract. I often like to bake with Grade B since you get a stronger flavor. Fold in the pecan pieces after pulsing to keep them chunky.
If you’re really fancy, you can use special maple syrup. I recently bought a gallon of wood-fired maple syrup from a maker out of Pennsylvania, and the flavor is so much more. No shade to the Costco syrup I’ve used for years.
For the maple glaze – This buttery glaze is over-the-top good. Instead of a regular sugar glaze with powdered sugar, the butter makes it extra thick with super clean lines and a delicious fall flavor.
How to Make the Best Maple Scones
Make the Dough
- Line a half sheet tray with a sheet of parchment paper.
- In the bowl of your food processor, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and cinnamon). Add the cubed cold butter.
- Pulse the mixture until the butter breaks into tiny pieces and the mixture begins to look sandy.
- Pour in the maple syrup, extract, and 1/2 of the cold heavy cream. Pulse until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and come together in a big clump.
If making the scones by hand, you may need to add an additional ¼ cup of heavy cream. Keep in mind that the less cream you add, the flakier the scones will be. You don’t want a sticky dough. - Dump the mixture onto a lightly floured surface or your sheet pan lined with parchment (less clean-up, but a little more fussy). Add the pecans and knead the dough until it forms a large ball. It will look like it won’t come together for a minute, but just keep going.
- Shape the ball of dough into a 1-inch tall round, pressing the edges to keep them tight and smooth. Use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to cut into 8-10 pieces. Separate and arrange wedges evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
- Pop them in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400F. This is crucial to the very best scones, so please don’t skip it!
(Pro Tip: Get to this stage the night before, and pop ’em in the fridge to bake whenever you need them!)
Bake
- Once preheated, brush the scones with heavy cream (if desired) and bake for 15-18 minutes. When done, the scones will still feel soft but will be golden brown on the bottoms.
- Remove from oven and allow the scones to firm up on the tray for about 5-10 minutes while you prepare the glaze.
Make the Glaze
- Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. It will begin to thicken quickly as it cools, so you’ll want to glaze as soon as the mixture starts to run off a spoon in a strong, thin line that can hold its shape.
- Drizzle evenly over the scones and sprinkle with extra chopped pecans on top. Serve warm and enjoy!
Storing Suggestions
Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. They’re best pretty early on, although you can also freeze them for later.
Tips & Variations
- Make ’em by hand. In general, I use a food processor for scones to help keep the butter very, very cold. However, sometimes I like to slow down and really do it the old-fashioned way – with a mixing bowl and my hands. I do find that hand-mixing scones usually means you need slightly more cream to bring them together, generally about ¾ cup instead of the ½ cup I use in the food processor.
- Change the nuts. Use walnuts instead for another classic flavor combo.
- No maple extract? Swap with vanilla extract instead.
How to Serve Maple Scones
I like to serve scones slightly warm, whether they’re still warm from the oven or reheated. I like to pop them in my little countertop toaster oven at 350F for about 5 minutes just to get them warm all the way through again.
This releases that maple aroma and makes them so good! It really brings out all the flavors and makes them soft and flaky again.
You can also add some chopped maple candied pecans on top of the glaze for a little extra decadence.
More Scone Recipes
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.
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Maple Pecan Scones
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 2 cups flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, one stick, very cold
- 1/2 cup heavy cream + up to 1/4 more if needed
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 1 tsp maple extract
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
For the Maple Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbs maple syrup
- 1 tbs unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbs heavy cream
- ½ tsp maple extract
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Line a half sheet tray with a sheet of parchment paper.
- In the bowl of your food processor, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and cinnamon). Add the cubed cold butter.2 cups flour, ½ tsp kosher salt, 2 tsp baking powder, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- Pulse the mixture until the butter breaks into tiny pieces and the mixture begins to look sandy.
- Pour in the maple syrup, extract, and 1/2 of the cold heavy cream. Pulse until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and come together in a big clump. If needed, add the additional ¼ cup of heavy cream but the less cream you add, the flakier the scones will be.2 tbs maple syrup, 1 tsp maple extract, 1/2 cup heavy cream + up to 1/4 more if needed
- Dump the mixture onto a lightly floured surface or your sheet pan lined with parchment (less clean-up, but a little more fussy). Add the pecans and knead the dough until it forms a large ball. It will look like it won't come together for a minute, but just keep going.⅓ cup chopped pecans
- Sharpe the ball of dough into a 1-inch tall round, pressing the edges to keep them tight and smooth. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8-10 pieces and arrange evenly on the prepared baking tray.
- Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400F. This is crucial to the very best scones, so please don't skip it! (Pro Tip: Get to this stage the night before, and have 'em ready to bake whenever you need them!)
Bake
- Once preheated, brush the scones with heavy cream (if desired) and bake for 15-18 minutes. When done, the scones will still feel soft but will be golden brown on the bottoms.
- Remove from oven and allow the scones to firm up on the tray for about 5-10 minutes while you prepare the glaze.
Make the Glaze
- Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. It will begin to thicken quickly as it cools, so you’ll want to glaze as soon as the mixture starts to run off a spoon in a strong, thin line that can hold its shape.1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbs maple syrup, 1 tbs unsalted butter, 2 tbs heavy cream, ½ tsp maple extract
- Drizzle evenly over the scones and sprinkle with extra chopped pecans on top. Serve warm and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Delicious. I made two double batches, and shaped both batches into smaller circles, getting 64 total small scones. They were perfectly soft and buttery, so yummy. Will definitely be making again!
Annalisa, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! They’re such a lovely snack and fun to make, too. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!