Pumpkin Pecan Scones with Maple Glaze

a closeup of a triangular scone with pecans and glaze drizzled over the top

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These Pumpkin Pecan Scones are the perfect trifecta of fall flavors. The ubiquitous pumpkin is heightened by the crunch of nutty pecans and sweet maple glaze. You'll never want another pumpkin scone after trying this one.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: scones

Calories: 255kcal

Author: Victoria

Ingredients

Scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
4 ounces cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch pieces
¾ cup roughly chopped pecans
¾ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg beaten
2 to 4 tablespoons milk, buttermilk, or heavy cream plus more for brushing
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Maple Glaze:

⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
4 teaspoons pure maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F and set the rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Add cold butter cubes to the flour mixture and work the butter into the flour mixture, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse pea or dime-size crumbs. Be careful not to overwork the mixture or the butter will soften too much and the resulting scones will not be flaky. Add the pecans and toss well.
Whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, 2 tablespoons of milk, and the vanilla extract. Add it to the flour mixture and mix until just combined, kneading lightly (but don’t overwork it). Add more milk if needed to create a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Scrape dough onto a generously floured large wooden cutting board or work surface. The dough may be sticky, so take extra care flouring your hands and the sides and top of the dough as well. Divide the dough in half and pat each portion into a ¾-to-1-inch thick circle. Don’t overwork the dough, as you want the butter inside to stay as cold as possible until the scones head into the oven.
Use a bench/dough scraper or knife to cut 6 wedges (like a pizza) from each round. Flip each cut scone over and place upside down on the parchment lined baking sheet (the bottoms are flatter and will look prettier as the tops of the scones), spacing a couple inches apart.
Lightly brush on top of the scones (but not the sides) with a little milk or heavy cream. Bake scones for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly golden on top. Remove from the oven and allow the scones to cool on the pan while you prepare the glaze.
Stir together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and maple syrup until smooth. If the glaze is too thin, add a sprinkle more confectioners’ sugar. Too thick, add a drizzle of milk. When scones are cool, drizzle the glaze over the tops. Allow the glaze to set briefly and then serve the scones at room temperature.

Notes

Cut each round into 8 pieces instead to yield 16 smaller scones.
is recipe uses kosher salt (aka cooking salt, kitchen salt, coarse salt outside of the US). If you are using table salt, definitely scale down the salt as that is a saltier type of salt! The type of salt will make a big difference in how salty your food tastes, so keep that in mind.

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