One thing I really love to bake, and to eat for that matter, is scones. I have never met a scone that I did not fall in love with, and I have baked and eaten a lot of scones in my lifetime!
I saw this Brown Sugar Pecan Scones recipe on a blog called Sugary Logic. They looked fabulous, and put me in mind of what was always one of my favorite types of pudding or ice cream when I was a child, Butter Pecan.
Tea and scones have become pretty synonymous with British Culture, although this type of scone is not the usual type of scones you will see served in a British Tea Room. More often than not they will serve either a plain or a fruited scone. Occasionally a cherry scone.
A scone that will be entirely at home with some clotted cream and jam. Nothing too fancy, the scone in main being the vehicle for holding the said cream and jam. You never ever really see fancy scones such as this one. I believe they are, in the main, a North American invention, but I could be wrong.
I think that basically the fanciest they get with scones over there are Cheese scones, which are quite delicious in and of themselves. They go beautifully with a bowl of hot soup or a salad.
Whilst not traditional, this scone recipe I am sharing with you today is fabulously tasty. I do believe they are some of the favorite scones I have ever baked. The use of butter and cream makes them beautifully short and flaky.
A bit of sweetness comes in the form of brown sugar, but not overly so. They are generously filled with plenty of chopped toasted pecans and that brown sugar penuche glaze which finishes them off is to die for. It reminds me very much of my mother's brown sugar fudge that she used to make for us as a treat from time to time when we were growing up.
Scones are very much related to the ancient Welsh tradition of baking small cakes on a baking stone or griddle over an open fire. They almost always contained oats. These days however they are mostly made from plain or self raising flour and baked in an oven.
They are very similar to North American Biscuits, and yet at the same time very different. Scones are dense and very crumbly in comparison to a North American Biscuit which tend to be on the lighter flakier side. Scones also tend to contain much more fat and sugar than biscuits. Both are delicious.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BUTTER PECAN SCONES
Simple every day baking ingredients. There is nothing fancy here, unless you consider nuts to be fancy.
For the scones:
- 2 1/2 cups (312g) all purpose plain flour, unsifted
- 1/3 cup (73g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 1/2 cup (115g) cold butter, cubed
- 1 cup (120g) chopped toasted pecans (plus more to garnish)
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream (double cream)
- 1 small free range egg, beaten together with 1 TBS heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1.4 cup (60g) butter
- 2 TBS heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (45g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Brown sugar is a main component of the flavor of these scones. It gives them an almost caramel-like taste, without it being overpowering. Don't stint on the nuts.
I always like to toast my nuts. It just really helps to enhance the flavor of the nuts. Its very easily done. To toast your nuts, just spread the whole nuts onto a baking sheet and toast in a moderate oven (about 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5) for 8 to 10 minutes, just until you can smell them.
Take care not to let them burn. You can then leave them to cool and then chop as needed. I tend to toast my nuts a whole bag at a time and then keep them in my freezer in an airtight container. That way I always have toasted nuts on hand, and I never have to worry about my nuts going rancid. They will keep almost indefinitely when properly packaged.
To measure out your flour properly, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with the flat side of a knife. This ensures that it is not packed in and that you get a more accurate measure.
The only really accurate measure is to weigh your ingredients for baking. I always bake by weight. Whilst some measuring cups will something vary in size, a gram is always a gram, is always a gram. It never changes.
HOW TO MAKE BUTTER PECAN SCONES
These are very simple and very quick to make. When push comes to shove, I will choose quick and easy every time. Not that I am lazy, but my time is precious and I like to make the best use of it that I can.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Whisk the brown sugar in thoroughly.Drop in the cold butter. Cut the butter into the flour using two round bladed knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea sized pieces. Add the toasted pecans and fork through.Pour the heavy cream in slowly, incorporating it with a round bladed knife until the dough is moist and starts to come together. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times to bring the dough totally together. (Do not over-knead) Shape into a round flat disk which is 1 1/2 inched thick.Using a sharp knife cut into 8 even wedges.
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment and place the scone wedges onto the baking sheet leaving plent of space between.
Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg. Do not allow any to drip down the sides. Doing so interferes with the rise.Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.To make the glaze, melt the butter, sugar and cream together in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Take off the heat. Whisk in the vanilla. Leave to cool for a few minutes before sifting in the icing sugar and cinnamon.Whisk together until the mixture is smooth and all of the sugar has been absorbed. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over top of the scones and sprinkle with additional chopped toasted pecans. These scones will keep, in a tightly covered container, for up to three days.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING GREAT SCONES
If you follow my hints and tips you cannot go wrong! I promise you scone success every time! The perfect scone is crisp and almost caramelized on the outsides, and tender and buttery, slightly sweet inside.
1. Always use cold butter, or even frozen butter. This will give your scone a much better rise. As the scones bake the cold butter, melts and creates lovely buttery air pockets.
2. Never overwork the dough. Use as light a touch as possible. Overworking the dough toughens the scone. This is the same for biscuits as well. If using a cutter do not twist the cutter when you cut or you will end up with lopsided scones.
3. If you have enough time, it is helpful to chill the scones for about 10 minutes prior to baking them. Although not specifically necessary this will help to relax the gluten in the flour somewhat and give a nice tender texture, and also ensures that your butter stays nice and cold.
4. For crisp sides leave at least two inches of space between each scone. For softer sides, crowd them closer together. Personally I like crisp sides.
5. If using fresh fruit in scones, try not to use fruit that it too juicy. This will mess with the integrity of your bake if the fruit is too wet. Rinse and dry it really well prior to using it. I like to use paper towels. Also if using loose frozen fruit, use it frozen. Do not thaw it out first.
6. Don't overbake the scones. Overbaking will make them really dry. Scones are done with they are a light golden brown on the bottom. If you are in doubt, break one open. They should not appear doughy or wet inside. They should be slightly moist and tender.
These Butter Pecan Scones were amazingly delicious. Tender and flaky with just the right texture. Not too sweet. I loved the abundance of nuts inside them as well as the sprinkle of nuts over the glaze.
You can skip the glaze if you wish, but I really hope that you don't. It really makes for a beautiful and delicious finish.
You can freeze the scones in an airtight container, prior to glazing them. Simply thaw and glaze as and when you wish to serve them. They will keep in the freezer, properly wrapped, for up to three months.
If you love scones as much as I do, you might also be interested in these other scone recipes:
OATY CINNAMON SCONES -These smell heavenly when they are baking. These scones are filled with the goodness of whole wheat and rolled oats, as well as the other ingredients. They are flaky and delicious! They are also glazed with a cinnamon glaze that you apply while the scones are warm and fresh from the oven. Just pour it over. Let it get into all of the nooks and crannies.
TENDER PEACH & VANLLA SCONES -These wonderful peach scones are tender and delicious served warm from the oven.They use simple pantry ingredients. Things which we probably all have in our cupboards. They are super fast and very easy to make. You can opt to use fresh peaches in them or tinned peaches, perfect for the winter months. Both work beautifully.
Butter Pecan Scones
Yield: 8 sconesAuthor: Marie RaynerPrep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 MinThese buttery cream scones are loaded with the flavors of brown sugar and toasted pecans. Sweetly glazed with a penuche type of glaze an sprinkled with more toasted pecans. Can you say moreish?Ingredients
For the scones:- 2 1/2 cups (312g) all purpose plain flour, unsifted
- 1/3 cup (73g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 1/2 cup (115g) cold butter, cubed
- 1 cup (120g) chopped toasted pecans (plus more to garnish)
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream (double cream)
- 1 small free range egg, beaten together with 1 TBS heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1.4 cup (60g) butter
- 2 TBS heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (45g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Whisk the brown sugar in thoroughly.
- Drop in the cold butter. Cut the butter into the flour using two round bladed knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea sized pieces. Add the toasted pecans and fork through.
- Pour the heavy cream in slowly, incorporating it with a round bladed knife until the dough is moist and starts to come together. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times to bring the dough totally together. (Do not over-knead) Shape into a round flat disk which is 1 1/2 inched thick.
- Using a sharp knife cut into 8 even wedges.
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment and place the scone wedges onto the baking sheet leaving plent of space between.
- Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg. Do not allow any to drip down the sides. Doing so interferes with the rise.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.
- To make the glaze, melt the butter, sugar and cream together in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Take off the heat. Whisk in the vanilla. Leave to cool for a few minutes before sifting in the icing sugar and cinnamon.
- Whisk together until the mixture is smooth and all of the sugar has been absorbed. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over top of the scones and sprinkle with additional chopped toasted pecans.
- These scones will keep, in a tightly covered container, for up to three days.
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