Maple Pecan Prune Scones by Baking The Goods

Crumbly on the outside with a tender interior, these Maple Pecan Prune Scones are full of contrasting textures and flavor. Chopped prunes add a naturally sweet, plush and jammy bite that plays perfectly against the soft crunch of nutty pecans. Maple and cinnamon round out the buttery scones with warmth and top them off with a drizzle of cinnamon spiced sweet maple glaze.

Comfort is a key ingredient in these Maple Pecan Prune Scones

After attending the Cherry Bombe Jubilee in LA with my pals from California Prunes, I came home feeling wrapped in the comfort of community. Hundreds of like minded women gathered together in the name of food, beverage and culture is a powerful force. I carried that comforting energy home and packaged it up neatly in the form of this recipe for Maple Pecan Prune Scones. Prunes can go sweet, savory, healthy or indulgent. They can really do it all, just like a group of strong and talented women.

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California Prunes bring hidden benefits to this scone recipe

Prunes contain key nutrients for strong bones and help to promote gut health. They are full of fiber and essential vitamins & minerals. Additionally, prunes have low Glycemic Index (GI) of 29, which helps regulate the body’s use of sugars while keeping hunger and blood sugar in check.

All of that and prunes taste freaking great! I always have a bag of prunes in my pantry as a quick & simple snack. By adding them to this scone recipe, I get the bonus health benefits baked into one of my favorite pastries. It's a win win!

The best scones are textural & tender

Scones get a bad rap for being dry and hard as hockey pucks. However, the best scones have variation and contrast. These Maple Pecan Prune Scones are textural, tender and peppered with ingredients that compliment each other, combining to create a more interesting scone overall.

Ingredients in Maple Pecan Prune Scones

California Prunes bring an elegantly silky smoothness to the maple pecan scones. The natural sweetness adds caramel notes while the plush density adds a satiny chew and jammy ripple throughout.
Pecans are roughly chopped and dot the scones with an airy crunch and toasted, woodsy flavor. For a more pronounced nuttiness, use lightly toasted pecans.
All Purpose Flour is a go-to, however, a whole wheat would also work well here. These Maple Pecan Prune Scones can even be made gluten free with a cup for cup GF flour.
Granulated Sugar adds just enough sweetness. There isn't much added since the prunes offer a lovely layer of natural sweetness.
Baking Powder is the leavening agent that gives the scones just enough airy loft.
Fine Sea Salt harmoniously balances the other flavors.
Ground Cinnamon brings a waft of warmth to the scones and maple icing.
Unsalted Butter adds full flavor and an ultra crumbly texture to the scones.
Buttermilk tenderizes the dough and contributes a slightly tangy flavor to the scones. Whole milk works too but buttermilk provides more fat and flavor.
Eggs enrich the scone dough and help to create the tender interior in this Maple Pecan Prune Scone recipe. While some scone recipes don't call for eggs, I find them to add a lot in the way of texture and flavor.
Maple Syrup brings sweet warmth to the scones and the icing ingredients. Optionally, add a splash of maple extract to the dough and maple icing to amp up the maple flavor.
Powdered Sugar blends with the maple syrup to make a cinnamon scented sweet maple glaze that gets drizzled over the Maple Pecan Prune Scones.

Maple Pecan Prune Scones ingredients — All of the ingredients needed to make Maple Pecan Prune Scones.

Prunes, pecans, maple syrup & cinnamon — All of the ingredients needed to make Maple Pecan Prune Scones.

Aside from the naturally sweet and deep caramel flavor, the prunes also stay plush as the scones bake. Unlike smaller dried fruits like raisins or cranberries that often harden when baked. The balance of flavor and texture happening makes these Maple Pecan Prune Scones such a great recipe. The best scones are simple at their base, using smart techniques to blend the dough.

Chopped California Prunes — Roughly chopped California Prunes and pecans bring contrasting texture and flavor to the scones.

Tips for baking the best scones

Use cold butter. Cut the cold butter cut into small cubes about ¼" ½" or use a cheese grater to coarsely grate the cold butter.
Don't over-mix scone dough. Pea-sized visible chunks of butter build a crumbly scone texture. If over-mixed the scones become smooth and dense instead of airy and crumbly.
Gather and pat the scone dough together instead of kneading. This allows the texture to remain. Again, if the dough is over-mixed, you'll end up with sad, dense scones.
Chill the dough disk in the freezer before cutting and baking. This helps to cut neat, sharp edges and when slicing the dough into wedges. Additionally, chilling the dough will aid the scones maintaining that classic wedge shape as they bake.

Cold, cubed butter for scone dough — Use cold, cubed butter when blending scone dough to create texture.

shaggy maple pecan prune scone dough — Use cold, cubed butter when blending scone dough to create texture.

The best scones don't require much work or many baking tools. You don't even need a rolling pin. In my opinion, a pastry blender is the best tool for cutting the butter into the dry ingredients. You can certainly use a food processor to blend the scone dough. But, I don't think it's necessary. Alternatively, you can mix scone dough with two butter knives or even just your hands. Simply squish the butter into the dry ingredients until coarse and pea sized crumbles form, moving quickly so the butter doesn't melt.

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How to mix scone dough

Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Cut the cold, cubed butter into the dry ingredients until the butter pieces are the size of peas or large pearls.
Stir in the mix-ins, pecans and chopped prunes.
Whisk the wet ingredients together; eggs, buttermilk and maple syrup.
Use a fork to blend the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients until the dough is rough and scrappy.

cutting butter into scone dough — Cutting butter into scone dough with a pastry blender.

crumbly scone dough — Cutting butter into scone dough with a pastry blender.

How to shape scones

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Gather and pat the dough 2 to 3 times to get the it to come together. Don't knead the dough.
Gently gather and pat to form dough into one 7”-8” disk for large scones or two 3”-4” disks for smaller scones, about 1 ½" - 2” thick.
Chill the dough disk(s) on a lined baking sheet in the freezer for at least 20-30 minutes.
Once firm, use a sharp knife to divide the dough into wedges. Cut the large disk into 8 pie-shaped wedges or the smaller disks into 6 equal wedges each.

gather scone dough together — Gather the scone dough together.

pat scone dough together — Gather the scone dough together.

Once you've mixed and shaped your scones, they can either be baked or wrapped and stowed in the freezer for baking at a later date. Chilled or frozen scone wedges will maintain their shape better when baking and contribute to the crumbly texture.

divide scone dough into wedges — Use a sharp knife to divide scone dough into even wedges.

Maple Pecan Prune Scones cut — Use a sharp knife to divide scone dough into even wedges.

These Maple Pecan Prune Scones are loaded with flavor & texture

Plush prunes and crunchy pecans ripple through these Maple Pecan Prune Scones with warm flavor and textural contrast. The crumbly exterior, tender centers and a warm maple cinnamon glaze bring big comfort. All of that makes them the best scone recipe when you could use a pick me up, a warm hug or an excuse to get in your kitchen and bake.

Mixing cinnamon maple glaze — Whisk the powdered sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon together

Cinnamon Maple Glaze for scones — Whisk the powdered sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon together

There is nothing quite like a slow Sunday morning with a piping hot pot of coffee or tea and the waft of buttery, cinnamon scented something filling your home. And, these Maple Pecan Prune Scones are an easy baker that is beyond their weight in the time it takes to whip them up. Life is better with fresh baked scones, especially when they are this dang delicious.

Maple Pecan Prune Scones from Baking The Goods

A great big thank you to my partners and pals California Prunes for including me in the Cherry Bombe Jubilee. And for making this post possible. Learn more about the health benefits of prunes and find prune inspired recipes at californiaprunes.com & follow them on Instagram @caprunes.

Maple Pecan Prune Scones