Butterscotch Pecan Scones
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These butterscotch pecan scones are tender, sweet and rich – almost like giant cookies.
My dear friend Betsy Goldstein recently told me about the most amazing scones she enjoyed while on a weekend getaway at The Salamander Resort in Middleburg, VA. In raving about the scones (the caramelized bottoms! the butterscotch! the toasted pecans!), Betsy admitted to having brought one home for me to taste, only to have succumbed to temptation before having the chance to give it to me. So, being me, I trekked an hour out to Middleburg to hunt down the scones.
I’m happy to report that they lived up to the hype, and I was able to create a copycat version by making a few tweaks to my favorite chocolate chip scone recipe. The scones are tender, sweet, and rich – almost like giant cookies. Make them for brunch or wrap them up for friends, neighbors and teachers over the holidays.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Butterscotch Pecan Scones
- Pecans: Add a nutty crunch and depth of flavor to the scones.
- Heavy Cream: Provides richness and moisture, resulting in tender scones.
- Egg: Acts as a binding agent and adds structure to the scone dough.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor profile with its aromatic sweetness.
- Cake Flour: The base of the scones. Cake flour provides a softer, more delicate texture than all-purpose flour. Don’t have cake flour on hand? See the FAQs to see how to make your own cake flour using all-purpose flour and cornstarch.
- Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the scones rise and become light and fluffy.
- Brown Sugar: Infuses a caramel-like sweetness into the scones, complementing the butterscotch flavor.
- Butter: Incorporates richness and flavor while contributing to the scone’s flakiness.
- Butterscotch Chips: Introduce bursts of nutty, buttery flavor throughout the scones.
- Demerara Sugar: Adds a crunchy texture and a hint of caramelized sweetness to the scone’s exterior.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin: toast the pecans in a 400°F oven until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Let them cool, then coarsely chop them and set aside.
Next, in a small bowl, combine the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla.
Whisk well and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and brown sugar.
Mix well, using your fingers to rub the brown sugar into the mixture until no lumps remain.
Add the pieces of cold butter.
Use your fingertips to rub the butter into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within.
It should look like this.
Stir in the butterscotch chips and pecans.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then add the cream mixture.
Use a rubber spatula to mix until the dough comes together.
It should be a bit sticky, almost like chocolate chip cookie dough. If it seems dry, add a bit more cream little by little (no more than 2 tablespoons should be necessary).
Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour, and place the sticky dough on top. Dust the top of the dough with a little flour.
Knead gently a few times until dough comes together into a ball. (Sprinkle lightly with more flour as needed so that the dough doesn’t stick.)
Press the dough into a circle about an inch high, then cut into 8 wedges.
Arrange the wedges on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly apart, and then sprinkle each one with about 1/2 teaspoon of Demerara sugar.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and firm to the touch.
Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cake flour is finer and lower in protein, which makes lighter and fluffier scones. If you don’t have any on hand, a simple blend of all-purpose flour and a bit of cornstarch makes a great substitute. Simply whisk together 1¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. This easy swap will take your scones from just okay to fantastic, giving them that perfectly tender, fluffy, ultra-buttery crumb. If you’d like some other options for using up cake flour, take your pick from perfect pound cake to vanilla cupcakes to Boston cream pie.
Definitely! To freeze them before baking, place the raw scones on a baking sheet, let set in the freezer, then place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Wait until you’re ready to bake the scones to brush on the egg wash, and allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking, let the scones cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Before serving, remove the scones from the container and let them come to room temperature. (If you have the option to freeze the scones before or after baking them, you will get the best results if you freeze before baking.)
Demerara (also called raw or turbinado) sugar is a type of cane sugar with large, crunchy crystals and a slightly amber color. It has a natural caramel-like flavor and is often used to add texture and sweetness to the tops or exterior of baked goods like old-fashioned molasses cookies and pumpkin muffins. If you don’t have it on hand, you can substitute light or dark brown sugar, or simply omit it.
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Butterscotch Pecan Scones
These butterscotch pecan scones are tender, sweet and rich – almost like giant cookies.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup pecans
- ½ cup heavy cream, plus more if necessary
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups cake flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off (see note on substitution)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ⅔ cup butterscotch chips, best quality such as Guittard
- Demerara sugar (also called raw sugar or turbinado), for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the pecans in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Slide the parchment off of the hot baking sheet and let the pecans cool on the countertop. When the pecans are cool enough to handle, coarsely chop them and set aside. Place the parchment back on the baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and brown sugar (use your fingers to rub the brown sugar into the mixture until no lumps remain). Add the pieces of butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within. Stir in the butterscotch chips and pecans. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then add the cream mixture. Use a rubber spatula to mix until the dough comes together. It should be a bit sticky, almost like chocolate chip cookie dough. If it seems dry, add more cream little by little (no more than 2 tablespoons should be necessary).
- Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour. Place the sticky dough on top and dust the top of the dough with a little flour as well. Knead gently a few times until the dough comes together into a ball. (Sprinkle lightly with more flour as needed so that the dough doesn't stick.)
- Press the dough into a circle about 1-inch high, then cut into 8 wedges. Arrange the wedges on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly apart, and then sprinkle each one with about ½ teaspoon of Demerara sugar. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and firm to the touch. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The scones are best enjoyed fresh on the day they are made but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
- Note: If you don't have cake flour, you can make your own: simply whisk together 1¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Put the dough wedges on a baking sheet, let set in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the scones cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the scones from the container and let them come to room temperature. **If you have the option to freeze the scones before or after baking them, you will get the best results if you freeze them before baking.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 scone
- Calories: 409
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Sugar: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 222 mg
- Cholesterol: 63 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Phenomenal recipe, everyone loved them. I’ve been wanting a scone recipe that is more soft & tender vs crumbly and dry as many end up, and this was a success. The cake flour was the key. As another reviewer mentioned doing I will slightly alter the flour to sub about 40 grams of AP flour out of the 240 grams of cake flour, just for a little less soft cookie texture.
Hi Jenn!
I’m a big fan and enjoy all of your recipes. Question: can I make and partion the dough tonight and bake them tomorrow morning? If so, should I cover the tray with plastic wrap and add more cook time?
Hi Jill, Yes that should be fine. I would cover with plastic and allow 1 to 2 min more cook time.
These scones are always a crowd-pleaser. I actually stayed at the Salamander Resort for a business meeting and my co-workers were raving about the scones left in their rooms in the evening. Somehow I missed them (probably because I was in a pet-friendly room and had my dog with me so employees did not disturb), but did a quick search for similar recipes and came across Jenn’s. They are a go-to recipe whenever I need to bring breakfast/brunch to any gathering.
Thank you!!!!!!! I went to Salamander Resort over a decade ago and still talk about that scone. I’ve literally prayed to find a butterscotch scone recipe that came close, and here you are making a copycat version of the exact scone! If you’re up for it, I’ve tried years searching and experimenting for a pink cookie with cherry chips from my childhood King Super store, with no luck. Any chance you’re up for another copycat recipe?
That’s so funny — they really are over-the-top good! And I’m not familiar with the cookies you described, but I’ll add them to my list of recipes to potentially develop. 🙂
These were so delicious! They are like a cookie scone crossover, we really enjoyed them. Quick question for you: I have made scones twice in the past week, and both of them have burned on the bottom despite normal cooking time and just cooked through scone. I use parchment, correct oven temperature, and have the tray in the center of the oven. Any tips? I have heard of some people placing an empty cookie sheet on an empty rack below to shield the heat from a bottom-heating oven, but wasn’t sure if you had other thoughts as well. Thank you!
Hi Ricky, Are your baking sheets really dark? That can cause significant burning on the bottom of baked goods. If so, you might need new baking sheets – right now I’m liking these. If your baking sheets aren’t dark, rather than putting a cookie sheet on the rack below, I would just stack two baking sheets together. Hope that helps!
Stacking the baking sheets worked like a charm! Perfectly browned on the bottom. This time we made your chocolate chip scones — best scones that have come out of our kitchen. Kids (and us) couldn’t get enough!
We have made these so many times and they always turn out exceptional, even when I only have all purpose flour to use!
I made these and they were delicious. Flavor was superb. I think I would have made them with half all purpose flour and half cake flour, a little too tender for me.
Hi Jenn! I am so excited to get your new cookbook! I make your recipes on a daily basis. About these scones, I was wondering if it would be ok to make them smaller – would that change anything? Thank you!
P.S. My husband likes these so much that he was craving them late last night, so I had to bake!
Hi Karen, Thanks for your nice words about the recipes and support of the cookbook! 🙂
Yes, you could make smaller versions of these; bake time may be a bit shorter so keep a close eye on them.
Yummmmmm! We have a tradition in our home that we always have rainy day tea parties with scones and tea if it rains on a Friday! Well, today is one of those days! Our kids are 24, 21, and 19 and all in college or having graduated and moved on Even though we can’t have a tea party together today, the 24 and 21 year old both made scones today! The 19 year old is a freshman boy. Need I say more? We love these scones for such occasions! I make them with gluten free flour and an extra egg (my little secret for making gluten free baked goods just a little bit better). They don’t roll out the same as regular flour scones, so I just scoop them on to a baking sheet with parchment paper like a “drop” scone. They are flakey, and sweet and fabulous! I can’t wait for tea time today!
I’m not much of a baker, haven’t even tried to make biscuits. But butterscotch and pecans were too tempting so I tried it. I was surprised by my success. I followed the recipe as close as possible and will do them again to share as gifts.