Thick, hearty, flaky whole wheat scones studded with toasted pecans and topped with a 2-ingredient maple icing and an extra sprinkle of pecans for good measure. Use your favorite vegan butter for an easy vegan version of this recipe!
I woke up one rainy morning last week with an intense craving for scones. The sky was grey, the house was cold, and I absolutely needed to bake a batch of maple pecan scones to promptly enjoy with a warm pumpkin chai latte while Peanut snored on my lap.
Except, when I typed ‘scones’ into the search bar of my very own website- the place where my maple pecan scone recipe surely lived- I found that no such scone recipe existed.
After looking around in confusion for a few minutes (I was really, really sure I had put these on the blog years ago) and a deep dive into my actual recipe archive, I pulled out an incomplete recipe for maple pecan scones and got to work.
The first batch fell apart when I picked them up. The second batch was decidedly not buttery enough. The third batch needed to wait until I bought more pecans, and then a week later became the exact scones you see in these photos. The fourth batch is happening this weekend because there’s yet another storm headed our way and I apparently can no longer live without freshly baked scones in my life.
The final recipe is made with whole wheat flour, a touch of cinnamon and cardamom for subtle spice, and full-fat canned coconut milk for maximum tender goodness in every bite. Plus, that icing? Its literally just maple syrup and butter, boiled together and cooled until thick and drizzle-able. It tastes like a cross between caramel and butterscotch and I want to spoon it on everything for the rest of forever.
Still not sure if you can handle making scones?
Here’s what you need to know to make the absolute best scones:
Use Cold Butter. Cold butter is what makes scones nice and flaky- whether you’re using vegan butter (such as Miyoko’s) or cow’s butter, make sure you pull it out of the fridge right before you need it to ensure it doesn’t soften before baking.
Don’t Overmix. Scones are light, flaky, and tender…but not if you mix the batter forever. Just stir in the wet ingredients until barely combined, then dump onto a cutting board and form a disc. Don’t worry about a few floury bits here and there- it’s all going to work out in the oven.
Toast. Your. Pecans. Simply baking inside of scone dough in the oven isn’t enough for sufficient toasting. I tried these both ways, and toasted pecans were the clear winner. I like to buy mine raw and toast in a 350 degree oven for 7-9 minutes, or until golden. You can do this up to a day or two in advance, or right before you make the scones, but transfer them onto a plate and pop it into the freezer to ensure they’re completely cooled before going into your scones so they don’t soften the butter.
That’s it! Making scones truly isn’t any more complicated than mixing up muffin or pancake batter. Start to finish, we’re talking 30 minutes, 20 of which is just bake time.
If you’re a pecan fan, you are going to OBSESS over these tender, flaky, whole wheat scones. Make them with vegan butter- or not- and prepare to fall in love.
If you make them, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your scones and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!
Whole Wheat Maple Pecan Scones with Maple Icing
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 6-8 scones
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup toasted pecan halves
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 Tablespoons cold salted butter
- 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
icing
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Roughly chop the toasted pecans and set aside.
- Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl- flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.
- Cut the butter into 6-8 pieces, then add it to the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter or a fork to mash it into the flour. Stop when the butter is broken up into about the size of chickpeas.
- Add milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and pecans, and mix with a large spoon until just barely combined. A few floury bits left behind is fine.
- Dump mixture onto a large cutting board or countertop and press into a disc about 3/4 inch thick and 8 inches across. Use a large knife to cut into 6 or 8 scones (depending on how big you want them!) and carefully transfer to the sheet pan.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until golden around the edges.
- While scones bake, make icing. Place maple syrup and butter into a small saucepan and turn heat to high. Stir contantly, and as soon as the butter melts, turn off the heat. Let icing cool in the pan while the scones finish baking/cooling. Icing will thicken as it cools.
- Once scones are finished baking, let cool on the pan until just warm, and drizzle with icing. Serve immediately.
NOTES: Einkorn, spelt, whole wheat pastry, or all-purpose flour will all work in place of the white whole wheat. I haven’t tested these with any grain or gluten-free flours, but I suspect a 1:1 gluten free baking blend would work very well here. Scones are always best on the day they’re made, though can be stored for up to 4 days at room temperature. If making in advance, I recommend leaving the icing off adding icing to each one as you eat them, otherwise they may get a bit soggy.
MAKE IT VEGAN: just be sure to use vegan butter! I tested these with Miyoko’s and they came out perfectly.