These maple oat pecan scones are tender and buttery with crisp, golden edges, hearty oats, toasted pecans, and plenty of maple flavor. The pecans and oats are toasted in a skillet, then caramelized in maple syrup, adding a sweet and toasty crunch to every single bite. Our taste testers raved about the crumbly, tender texture and cozy maple flavor. (Even kids who don’t prefer nuts in baked goods loved these!)
Think of today’s scones as the breakfast version of these reader-favorite maple brown sugar cookies!
Why You’ll Love These Maple Oat Pecan Scones
There are a lot of maple oat scone recipes out there, but these have a few things that make them especially good:
- Buttery and tender: Extra-cold butter creates flaky pockets throughout the scones. I start with frozen butter.
- Hearty but not heavy: Whole rolled oats add texture and a subtle nuttiness without making the scones overly dense.
- Bold maple flavor: Pure maple syrup gets a boost from a touch of maple extract.
- Extra flavorful add-ins: Toasting the pecans and oats first brings out their nutty flavor and keeps them crisp, while a maple syrup glaze adds a touch of caramelized sweetness.
- Make-ahead friendly: You can prepare the scones the night before, then bake them fresh in the morning.
Recipe Testing Notes
Testing these scones was a lot of fun. We started with my go-to recipe for basic scones. From there, we pulsed whole oats into oat flour and used that in combination with all-purpose flour. Our goal was to create an oat-based dough, but this method resulted in an overly crumbly, almost sandy texture. We knew we could do better.
Team member (and my cookbook recipe co-author!) Beth suggested toasting the oats with the pecans on the stove, then caramelizing them a bit with maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. I was intrigued! We gave the method a try and loved the initial results. From there, we tweaked the base recipe a bit more, using brown sugar in the dough and adding a touch of maple extract.
These were a wild success, and quite possibly one of my top 10 favorite recipes of all time. And that maple icing will always be a favorite!! It’s the same icing I use on maple pecan focaccia.
Ingredients You Need & Why
- Oats: Use whole rolled oats rather than quick oats. The larger oats give these scones their hearty texture.
- Pecans: Start with raw pecan halves. They’ll get toasted with the oats, then chopped before you fold them into the dough.
- Maple Syrup: Make sure to use pure maple syrup, not “breakfast syrup.” This is a main flavor here, so reach for the real deal.
- Cinnamon: Adds even more flavor to the toasty pecans and oats.
- Flour: The main structure of the scones. I recommend sticking with all-purpose flour for the best balance of tenderness and sturdiness.
- Baking Powder: For lift.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the maple and pecan flavors.
- Butter: Cold butter is essential for tender, flaky scones. Cut the butter into small cubes and then place it in the freezer for about 15 minutes while you get started on the rest of the recipe. It will be extra cold by the time you’re ready to add it to the dough.
- Heavy Cream: Texture is crucial for the perfect scone, so don’t substitute milk or nondairy milk in this recipe.
- Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness along with a subtle caramel-like flavor that pairs especially well with maple.
- Egg: Binds and adds richness.
- Pure Vanilla & Maple Extracts: A small amount of maple extract provides a big boost to the overall maple flavor of the scones. Vanilla rounds out all the other flavors.
Toast the Pecans & Oats First
We’re going to start with the add-ins before we make the scone dough so they have time to cool.
Begin by cooking the pecans and oats together in a dry skillet on the stovetop, stirring until they smell toasty and nutty. Then add the maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. The maple syrup will bubble up when it hits the hot pan. Don’t worry, this is expected. Keep stirring for a couple more minutes and watch as it thickens into a glaze that coats the nuts and oats.
Spread the mixture out onto a cutting board and let it cool, then give everything a rough chop. Honestly, I could snack on this all by itself. It reminds me of homemade granola!
What Makes Scones Tender and Flaky?
The secret to tender yet flaky scones is cold butter and minimal mixing. (Similar to making biscuits or pie dough.) When cold butter hits the hot oven, it melts and releases steam, creating little pockets throughout the dough. This is why I recommend cutting the butter into small cubes and freezing it before you begin. Sometimes I even grate the butter with a box grater for even smaller pieces of butter.
It’s also important not to overwork the dough. The more you mix and knead it, the more gluten develops, which can produce tougher, denser scones. Embrace a messy, crumbly dough!
How to Make Maple Oat Pecan Scones
Whisk the dry ingredients together, then cut in the frozen butter with a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your fingers until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbles (see the photo above). Whisk the wet ingredients together separately, then combine everything with the maple oat pecan crunchies. Remember to mix the dough as little as possible.
You may need to ditch the spatula and use your hands to incorporate the add-ins into the sticky dough. It helps to flour your hands first!
Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gently bring it together, and shape it into a disc. Cut into wedges:
To ensure the scones don’t overspread and lose their shape, refrigerate them for at least 15 minutes before baking. They can chill for much longer, so feel free to make them in advance, refrigerate overnight, and bake them fresh in the morning!
Brush a little heavy cream onto your scones using a pastry brush right before baking. This helps with browning and gives the scones their golden, lightly crisp tops.
Here’s what they look like after baking:
My Favorite Maple Icing
Now for the finishing touch: the maple icing! I absolutely love this maple icing, especially because of the way it sets on top of baked goods as the butter in it re-solidifies. It’s from my maple brown sugar cookies, and I love it on this salted maple pecan focaccia, too!
When the maple oat scones are cool enough to handle, dip the tops in the icing, then sprinkle some oats on top right away, before the icing has a chance to set. The recipe makes enough icing to glaze all 8 scones, with a bit left over to drizzle over the oat topping at the end.
Success Tips for Maple Oat Pecan Scones
- Cut the cold butter into small cubes and freeze for about 15 minutes before you add it to the dry ingredients.
- Use floured hands to bring the dough together.
- Refrigerate the scones for at least 15 minutes before baking.
- Check on the scones halfway through baking. If they are spreading out, use 2 bench scrapers or spatulas to press on either side of the scone to reshape into a triangle.
- Add the oat topping immediately after dipping each scone in icing because it sets quickly!
Beth and I truly can’t wait for you to try these!!
Print
Maple Oat Pecan Scones
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 scones
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These maple oat pecan scones are tender and buttery with crisp, golden edges, hearty oats, toasted pecans, and plenty of maple flavor. For the best texture, start with very cold butter, handle the dough as little as possible, and chill the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes before baking. Finish with maple icing and a light sprinkle of oats.
Ingredients
Maple Oat Pecan Crunchies
- 2/3 cup (75g) pecans (use raw, unsalted)
- 2/3 cup (57g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats, plus more for topping
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (40g/30ml) pure maple syrup
Scones
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for shaping
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) cold heavy cream, plus more for brushing
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
Maple Icing
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (80g/60ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the maple oat pecan crunchies: In a dry medium skillet over medium heat, combine the pecans and oats. Cook, stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon, until they smell nutty and toasty, about 4–5 minutes. Add the cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup. The maple syrup will bubble up when it hits the hot pan; that’s expected. Cook, stirring, until the syrup thickens into a glaze that coats the pecans and oats, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a cutting board. Set aside to cool.
- Make the scones: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold cubes of butter and cut them into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your fingers until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, heavy cream, egg, vanilla extract, and maple extract until combined and smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir with a spatula until the dough starts to come together. Avoid over-mixing.
- Roughly chop the cooled pecan-oat mixture. Add the maple oat pecan crunchies to the dough and fold to incorporate. You may need to use floured hands to bring it all together. The dough will be crumbly.
- With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can and transfer to a floured work surface. Press into a neat 8-inch disc and, using a very sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 equal wedges.
- Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet (if your refrigerator has space!) and refrigerate the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 day.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Arrange the chilled scones at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream.
- Bake for 18–24 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes as you prepare the icing.
- Make the icing: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar and salt. Taste; add a pinch more salt if desired. When the scones are cool enough to handle, dip the tops in the icing and place them on a cooling rack set over a lined baking sheet (to catch the drips). The icing sets quickly, so reheat it over the stove if needed. Sprinkle oats over the icing before it has a chance to set. If you have any icing left, you can drizzle it over the tops.
- Leftover scones keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time. Or thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.
- Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones, with or without the icing, in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare scones through step 6. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Continue with the recipe the following day.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Silicone Spatula | Bench Scraper | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Pastry Brush
- Maple Extract: Pure maple syrup isn’t enough to guarantee mega maple flavor. I use McCormick brand maple extract. You can find it in the baking aisle or online. If you can’t find it, you can omit it with no other changes to the recipe, but expect the maple flavor to be more subtle, as it will mainly come from the icing.
- Over-spreading: Start with very cold scone dough. Expect some spread, but if the scones are over-spreading as they bake, remove from the oven and press back into their triangle shape using 2 spatulas or bench scrapers.
Reader Comments and Reviews
We had these for dessert tonight and they are so yummy! Perfect fall bake.
I made the maple pecan scones today and they came out great! Not only were they very tasty, but they were very easy to make. I’ve always been afraid of scones, but I followed the directions exactly, and am very happy with the outcome. Thanks!
The recipe was as described with lots of helpful pointers. It made delicious scones but they were hearty. As for the flavor, there was a lot of flavor layering in this recipe. The more that you chew, the deeper and richer the flavors become. Loved it for a fall time recipe.
These are so good! Perfect balance of sweetness/salty. And following the recipe was so easy.
These were incredibly delicious!!! I’ve made many of Sally’s scones but these may be the best yet! The combination of flavors is perfectly complimentary!! I will be making many more!
I love all that is maple syrup. These were delicious. I worried I had overworked the dough but they came out great. Once again, directions are fantastic. I did eliminate the maple extract because I couldn’t find it in my local store. They still came out delicious. Great fall recipe.
This was so fun to make and turned out absolutely delicious. A little saltiness to go with the sweet and the crunchy bits in the soft scone really made it special. Big hit with my family! I’ll make these again and again.
Yum! I was looking for a “fall-like” scone and this was perfect.
My scones were almost burnt at the 15 minute mark, but seem to be holding their shape well! The crunchies are super tasty.
I was craving scones for quite a while and the recipe from Sally arrived with perfect timing. Easy to make and even easier to eat, the flavours compliment each other fabulously.
Can’t wait to make them again.
The perfect bake on a rainy day. So easy and delicious! Perfect with a cup of coffee.
So easy and SO YUMMY!!!!
These scones were super simple to make and oh my gosh some of the best scones that I have ever tasted! I had a little trouble with the icing but that might also be user error. But these definitely brightened my day!
Fabulous! Instructions were clear and easy to follow. Scones are superb. They come out BIG, so next time I’ll try divide them into ten, rather than eight. If I was serving these for breakfast, I’d leave off the icing as it is very sweet. Or, I might just drizzle some icing over rather than dipping. Not to say the icing isn’t yummy – it’s just that the scones are delicious and sweet enough on their own. Baking for 18 minutes was just right. I wouldn’t go longer. Oh, I don’t have maple extract – honestly, these were perfectly tasty and maple-y so I don’t think I missed it.
Woo!! Oh my gosh, these are delicious! I brushed the icing on them and also sprinkled pecan pieces with the oats. These are perfectly sweet with the pecan crunchies. Will definitely make these again.
These were delicious! I used grated butter and Gf ingredients. Because GF batter is delicate and sticky, I used my KA mini-scone pan and they came out well. Very tasty!
Just made them! So delicious! The initial step of making the pecan maple oat mixture adds some time, but it’s worth it. I put the scones on the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. Came out perfect. I baked my for about 19 minutes but my oven is probably running closer to 385-390.
Absolutely amazing scones. They are everything I want them to be. Little crispy edges, excellent taste and perfectly moist centers. I haven’t made scones often and when I did the outcome was unsatisfactory. I will be making this recipe again and trying more of Sally’s scone flavors soon. I’m a convert!
Hello,
Your other scone recipes call for grated frozen butter while this calls for cubed. Is there a significant difference between the two techniques?
Hi Ryan, Both methods (cubed butter vs. grated butter) work well! Grating gives you small pieces right away, while cubed butter gets worked into smaller pieces with a pastry cutter. The key with either method is keeping the butter cold. Truly, you can do it either way.
My new favorite scone recipe! I regularly make Sally’s scones recipes, and these are perfect for fall. Making the maple oat pecan crunchies took these over the top!
A lot easier to make than I originally thought! I cut them into smaller triangles after seeing comments saying they were quite large and I think I could’ve made them even smaller.
This recipe was a huge hit! I enjoyed making these! It definitely brings fall to the air!
I was mildly concerned when my dough came out slightly sticky instead of crumbly, but my scones came out of the oven with the texture of coffee shop scones. Very delicious, even without maple extract.
Having just spent a week on Cunard’s Queen Mary II eating authentic English scones daily, I’m not sure I can call these scones. But whatever the label, they are wildly delicious! The flavors, the texture—first rate! Excellent with tea. And pretty easy to make, with Sally’s clear and specific instructions. My oven runs hot so I didn’t have to bake for the full time, but other than that, it all worked as promised. Would definitely make again for afternoon tea!
These are delicious and easy to make! I made the regular size version as directed and they’re big enough and sweet enough that I can eat half of one at a time. I was a bit surprised when I baked them just the 18 minutes as recommended and they’re big enough got a bit more brown than I’d like. Still good, though!
The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was because of the amount of dishes I had to do when I was done. Because we are not icing fans, I opted to top them with maple sugar that I had laying around. But they smell and taste divine!
I am an avid scone lover but haven’t taken the time to learn how to try and make them myself until this recipe! They turned out wonderful! They have the bakery style texture I was looking for and, honestly, were better than many scones I have bought out and about. The crunch of the oats and pecans makes for a great add-in and unique fall flavor. I left them to rest in the fridge overnight and I had no problem with spreading. Mine were probably good to pull at 16 minutes instead of 18, so will do that next time!
Great recipe!
This was an easy, tasty scone to whip up on a lazy Saturday morning! Thanks Sally and team.
I already know I love that maple icing from the maple brown sugar cookies and it was great here too.
Be careful not to burn your maple oat toasties! Mine were on the verge of singed and left everything smelling a bit too done.
They’re good. Mine cooked within 16 minutes. The icing is delicious.