Buttery and Flaky Praline Pecan Scones Recipe

Filled with a generous amount of crunchy, caramelized praline pieces, these buttery pecan scones will make you fall in love at first bite. While this recipe might scream "fall baking," I love to make them any time of year. A good scone always goes well with a cup of coffee, feels right at home served for brunch and disappears quickly at a bake sale!

Praline Pecan Scones Were Best Sellers at my Bakery (Here's why)

We served two rotating flavors of scones every day at my former bakery.  These buttery pecan scones were customer favorites and flew off the shelves early in the morning (apologies to the late risers.)

• Flaky with a bit of crunch: The toasted pecans in the pecan praline bring added crunch to the soft and flaky pastry.
• Perfectly sweet: While scones are never overly sweet compared to other baked goods, some can err on the bland side. The pecan praline swirled throughout the dough adds a bit of sweetness to every bite.
• No icing required: Thanks to the praline filling, these delicious scones stand on their own with no need of icing or even powdered sugar. You can sprinkle a little coarse sugar on top before baking for garnish, but I don't think even that is necessary.

What is the Best Way to Make Scone Dough?

There are several theories on the best way to achieve "perfect scones."  I have tried all of the following for my scone recipes and have found that there is very little difference in the results, so long as you keep a few important rules in mind:  Keep your small pieces of butter COLD, and, don't overwork the dough.

Option one: Food processor

This option is probably the easiest and is definitely one of the cleanest. Pulse the blades of a food processor to cut the butter until it is the size of small peas, 8-10 times. Then you transfer the mixture to a large bowl and mix in your liquid.

Option Two: Cheese Grater

I like this option because it keeps the small pieces of butter uniform, but it requires a little extra effort on your part. Use a box cheese grater to grate VERY cold (preferably frozen) butter into long pieces. Toss the pieces with your dry ingredients before adding your liquid.

Option Three: Pastry Cutter / Pastry Blender

This is the method my mom (and probably my grandmother) always used for pastries like pie crusts. A pastry cutter has curved sharp metal blades attached to a handle (see photo below) so that it can pick up and cut the cold butter cubes into small pieces. To use it, you push the metal strips down into the butter and flour, eventually cutting up the butter and mixing the two ingredients together before adding the liquid.

Option Four: Your Fingers!

If you want to avoid cleaning extra tools and equipment, use your fingers to rub the cold butter into the dry ingredients. The colder the butter, the more effort this will take, but there is something very satisfying and organic about using this method to make your scones!

Ingredients and Special Equipment

Praline Ingredients

• Light brown sugar: lightly packed
• Unsalted butter
• Whole milk: heavy whipping cream may be substituted
• Vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon
• Salt

Pecan Scones Ingredients

• All purpose flour: Substitute your favorite gluten-free flour blend for gluten-free scones, or use half whole wheat flour for an earthier, heartier scone.
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder / baking soda
• Salt
• COLD unsalted butter: It is important to keep your butter cold when mixing it into your pastry dough, as cold butter pieces create the flaky air pockets upon baking. To ensure cold butter, I recommend cubing the pieces and then freezing them for 10 minutes prior to adding them to the flour.
• Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, you can make a substitute by mixing 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or cider vinegar with enough milk to yield one cup of liquid. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, until it begins to thicken, and then use as directed!
• Egg and whole milk (mixed in a small bowl for the egg wash): heavy cream can be used instead of milk.

Special equipment

• Pastry cutter / pastry blender (Pictured above, optional -- See section above on methods for mixing scone dough)
• Parchment paper
• Pastry brush: For brushing egg wash onto the scones.
• Bench scraper (optional), for gathering dough on your work surface. 

Step by Step Photos and Instructions

Prepare the Praline Pecans

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly so the sugar dissolves.

2. Add the chopped pecans to the mixture and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

3. Drop the mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls onto lined baking sheets; allow to cool completely.  When the pralines have hardened, break into small chunks or roughly chop.

Prepare the Pecan Scone Dough

1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.  Place oven racks in the upper and lower thirds positions. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Scatter the cold butter pieces over the flour mixture. 
3. Using your pastry/dough blender, cut into the flour mixture using downward turning motions, until the butter pieces are the size of peas (see section above on alternative ways to mix scone dough.)

4. Stir in the chopped praline pieces.  

5. Add 1 cup (250 mL) ofthe buttermilk, mixing until just combined.  Add more buttermilk, if necessary, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) at a time, until the dough starts to come together in large clumps.

6. Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface or a cutting board and gently knead a few times to bring the dough together.  Divide the dough in half and pat it into two rounds, about 1-inch thick.  Using a sharp knife, cut each round into 8 equal-size wedges and place the wedges on a prepared baking sheet.  These are LARGER scones.  Feel free to cut the rounds into 12 wedges for smaller scones. 

7. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and, if desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Bake the scones for 20-25 minutes, rotating positions halfway through the baking process, until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean. Allow the pecan scones to cool 10 minutes and then serve warm or cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

FAQ and Troubleshooting your Praline Pecan Scones

I love making Homemade Scones. try a few More Of My Favorites:

• White Chocolate Raspberry Scones
• Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Scones
• Fluffy Apple Cinnamon Scones

Tried this recipe and loved it? Take a photo and tag me on Instagram or give it a review!