Maple Pecan Scones with Molasses Glaze

These buttery Maple Pecan Scones have the perfect moist, flaky texture and are loaded with pecans and maple flavor! Perfect for your holiday brunch!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword maple desserts, maple scones, pecan desserts, pecan scones, scones

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Total Time 35

Servings scones

Calories 615kcal

Author Kathleen

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons very cold or frozen unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes. divided
3/4 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup buttermilk, well shaken
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon maple extract

Prep. Set oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 400ºF (204ºC).
Dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add flour (2 cups), 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder (1 teaspoon), baking soda (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1/2 teaspoon); whisk to combine. Add 6 tablespoons of butter and cut in with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the butter is the size of peas. Stir in pecans (3/4 cup).
Wet ingredients + combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk (2/3 cup), eggs (2), and maple extract (1 teaspoon). Add to flour mixture and toss with a fork until dough comes together in moist clumps.
Shape + bake. Gather dough into a ball. Press into out onto a lightly floured surface to an 8 inch round cut into 6 triangles. Arrange triangles on an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 14-16 minutes.
Glaze. In a small saucepan, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, and heavy cream over low heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar (2/3 cup) and molasses (1/2 teaspoon). Spread glaze over warm scones.

Butter: I generally use unsalted butter in my recipes. I like that I can control the amount of salt. It’s very important to use very cold or frozen butter. This will create tender flaking in your scones and help them get a gorgeous rise. What I do is cut the butter into 1/4 inch cubes, lay the cubes in a single layer on a plate, and stick the plate in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Mixing: Don’t over-mix! Lumps in the batter are okay! The best tool to use is a pastry blender.