Maple Pecan Scones

Oh my! I don't know when I have been as excited about a change in season! I am so happy that Fall has arrived. I'm usually a real lover of Summer and all its fun and glory, but being pregnant through the entire summer - and sick to boot with it and some other issues - I'm so grateful for cooler temperatures on the way. I can't say I'll feel the same way when Winter rolls around, but I plan to try to enjoy the heck out of Fall.

My apologies in the meantime to my TWD friends and especially Jacque who chose the Cottage Cheese Pufflets as this week's recipe pick - after reading everyone's difficulties with the recipe I just never felt like I was going to be able to commit the time and energy right now. Once I get feeling better I can't wait to give them a try since they are so intriguing.

To start that out, I made these Maple Pecan Scones a few days ago and just couldn't wait to share these with you! I started out with a recipe that I'm sure is fantastic as is, from the guys at Baked, but once I started making changes, I just couldn't seem to stop. I replaced the white sugar with dark brown, changed the walnuts out with pecans, traded out the buttermilk for cream and milk with a little lemon juice, and lastly added in some cinnamon chips and butterscotch chips. The original recipe also makes 12 large scones. I couldn't eat that many all at once - so, I cut the recipe in half, but still used one whole egg.

While the scones described in the Baked book were supposed to be substantial, I hoped with my changes that they would come out soft and light - and they did! They were tender and heavenly, with just a light touch of maple flavor to the scone and added in to that flavor was the touch of maple syrup in the glaze that went on top.

These are perfectly wonderful and totally edible - as in I ate three of them right away! If you want a scone that is easy to make and even easier to eat that will really get you in a Fall mood - look no further!

Maple Pecan Scones

Makes 8 large scones

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Whisk together in a large bowl.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

Cut in the butter or rub in with fingertips to large pea-sized pieces and flakes.

1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure maple extract

Combine and whisk together in a small bowl. Pour over the dry mixture and using a fork, toss to mix and combine to make a soft dough.

1/2 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup cinnamon or butterscotch chips or a combination

Add in to the dough mixture and mix gently till just combined. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a circle about 1 1/2 inches high and 8 inches across. Cut into 8 triangle pieces and place on a parchment lined baking sheet a couple of inches apart.

Raw sugar and heavy cream for brushing top and sprinkling

Brush the scones with the cream, then sprinkle generously with raw sugar. Bake scones till golden for approximately 25 minutes.

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons heavy cream

Whisk the glaze ingredients together and use a fork to swirl the glaze over the mostly cooled scones.