Maple Pecan Scones:Ree & Leigh{Anne}

I actually made this Pioneer Woman recipe months ago but I have been saving it for this week – the week I would be in London hopefully enjoying some real English scones and tea with my daughter.  Somewhere fabulous like Kensington Palace, Harrods or the Ritz!  I’ll let you know where we end up but tea with my daughter in England is top of our to do list.

I love scones and enjoy playing with what I put in them.  Sometimes it is chocolate chips other times it is craisinets and once in a while it is lemon zest and poppy seeds.  This time it was toasted pecans.  I am not a big fan of nuts in my baked goods but if I am going to have nuts it my baked goods it better be toasted pecans.

PW’s scone recipe makes a light and fluffy scone (one of the secrets is not to overwork the dough) and it is a good base for whatever flavor of scone you want to make.  Have fun and be creative.

Being the frosting girl that I am, I especially loved the maple flavored frosting that she uses in this recipe.  I left the coffee out.  Not only do I not drink coffee I don’t even like the flavor.

Like I said, don’t overwork the dough.  No one likes a tough scone!   Mix the dough up until just combined.  The dough will be crumbly but just use your hands to push it all together and then use your rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 3/4 inch thick.

Cut your circle into 8 pie shaped pieces.  Place them on your parchment lined cookie sheet to bake.

Bake at 350 for about 22-25 minutes or until just starting to brown.  Again, overbaking will make them tough and like I said – no one likes a tough scone!  After the scones are cooled add the delicious maple frosting and drizzle over the top, allowing it to run over the edges.

Then brew yourself a cup of tea in your prettiest tea cup and enjoy tea time!  Just like Cali and I are!!

Maple Pecan Scones

Pioneer Women
3 C all purpose flour
1/3 C sugar
5 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ lb. (2 sticks) butter, chilled
¼ C pecans, plus more for sprinkling
1 large egg
¾ C heavy cream

Maple Icing

1 lb. powdered sugar
¼ C milk
4 Tbsp butter, melted
Splash of strongly brewed coffee
Dash of salt
2 tsp maple flavoring (You could substitute vanilla or almond extract if you want, but then you’d have to change the title of your recipe.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Finely chop the pecans and stir into the flour mixture.  Mix the egg & cream together and stir into the flour mixture until just combined. Turn the mixture onto a cutting board and push it together into a large ball. Don’t knead too much—only until it sticks together.

Gently roll the dough into a 10-inch circle and cut the round into eighths. PW recommends that in order to have perfect eighths, you could first cut an X and then cut a plus sign.

Transfer your wedges to a baking sheet that has been covered in parchment paper or lightly sprayed and bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow the scones to cool completely.

Meanwhile, mix your glaze together and pour generously over each scone. Sprinkle with chopped pecans if you want but above all…

Enjoy!