School’s out and Fuzz and I are enjoying some lazy days before various camps start. Next week’s breakfasts will be rushed (as usual) so for the next two days, we’re going to splurge a little. Around here, a splurge means scones. Fuzz loves the pumpkin ones best, but I decided to try a new flavor and went with butterscotch.
These are excellent, but only if you like your scones rich and tender. You can forget about eating these with cream or butter because in this case, it’s baked right in. I made 6 large and slightly flattish scones, but I think next time I’ll make 8.
Rich Butterscotch Pecan Scones
2 cups all purpose flour (9 oz/270 grams)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (70 grams)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (48 grams)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt**
7 tablespoons (100 grams) cold salted butter, cut up
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (2 ml)
1 cup heavy cream, divided use (240 ml)
2/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted**
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Combine flour, both sugars, baking powder, and salt in food processor and pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until mixture is a coarse meal. Combine the vanilla and cream in a measuring cup. Gradually add the cream mixture to the flour mixture (about ¼ cup at a time) and pulse until mixture comes together. You should use all but about 1 tablespoon of the cream.
Empty dough onto a lightly floured or non-stick work surface and gently knead in the butterscotch chips and pecans. Pat dough into an 8 inch circle and using a greased or damp knife, cut it into 6 neat triangles.
At this point, you can freeze the triangles for later use. Otherwise, arrange a few inches apart (they spread) on an ungreased cookie sheet, brush the tops with remaining cream, and bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges are nicely browned. These don’t brown a lot (probably due to the baking powder and lack of soda), so look at the edges.
I cut my circle into 6 triangles, but since these are so rich you might want to try 8 triangles and bake for 13-15 minutes.
Makes 6 to 8
**if using unsalted butter, use 1/2 teaspoon salt
Anna says
December 15, 2011 at 10:49 amYou could just leave them out. They won’t be quite as sweet, but they’ll still be tasty.
Another fun thing you could try is making them yourself! There are a few different versions on the Internet. This one sounds good (though it calls for coconut oil) and there are a few others.
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-butterscotch-baking-chips
Q says
December 15, 2011 at 10:16 amOo, looks lovely. Unfortunately, I live in sort of a farm area and new age fan dangled products like butterscotch chips have yet to reach us. Do you know how I would be able to make this without them? Like, would I just pour butterscotch sauce into the dough? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
judy says
June 10, 2009 at 6:51 amMade these last nite too. Yes, these are rich but very delicious. Not as dry as the scones Ive made in the past. The toasted pecans and butterscotch combination is very good. A must try.
Anna says
June 5, 2009 at 6:50 pmJanet, that is exactly right. I wasn’t very clear, but you do brush the tops with the remaining cream. You can skip that step if you want, though. The cream makes the tops a little shinier.
janet says
June 5, 2009 at 5:52 pmI noticed you have the cream, divided and you mentioned using all but 1 Tbsp cream. Do we use the 1 Tbsp for brushing on the tops or ? Thanks! I was going to make these for a friend’s visit tomorrow morning.
Anna says
June 5, 2009 at 4:26 pmThese were really good scones and suprisingly good even on Day 2. I wrapped them in foil yesterday then reheated them for a few minutes this morning.
Last night I was reading a Nick Malgieri book and he has a recipe which is similar, but has a bit less butter and cream. That one is next on my list.
Cindy, cinnamon chips would be terrific.
Cindy D says
June 5, 2009 at 4:22 pmI’m wondering about subbing cinnamon chips for the butterscotch.
Sara says
June 5, 2009 at 3:58 pmYum! I love butterscotch.
Lisa Ernst says
June 5, 2009 at 12:34 pmI used to bake scones all the time, but somehow I got away from it. I’ve tried scones with butter of course, and also scones with whipping cream, but never both at once. Sounds very tempting. Sometimes I substitute full fat coconut milk for cream and I bet it would add an interesting dimension to scones. (What I don’t use of the coconut milk I freeze in ice trays and add to other recipes later. It works as long as its used within a month or so.)
snooky doodle says
June 4, 2009 at 10:38 pmoh these look delicious 🙂 nice for breakfast !
Anna says
June 4, 2009 at 8:41 pmHi Louise,
I think she goes back to school the last week of August. I’m not sure. Guess I should find out ;).
Let me know if you think these are too rich. They’re not too sweet, but they do have a lot of butter and cream.
Louise says
June 4, 2009 at 7:37 pmWow. Fuzz gets out of school for summer holiday very early. When does school start in Texas? I love tender scones and these look delicious. Years ago I was able to buy mud scones from a bakery, but regrettably it closed. I guess I should figure out how to make my own.