I’ve had this recipe in my Tried-and-True Binder for years. It must be a recipe straight from Mom’s brain because it’s in her signature font, and has her unique handwriting notes on top. My handwriting in the corner on a Post-It note says “Make on a chill Snow Day.” Last year, weirdly, our corner of New Jersey got zero snow. Zero. So I’m celebrating this weekend’s snow storm with a batch of Butterscotch Pecan Scones, which we always make in a heavy pan divided into 16 triangles (you can grab one from King Arthur Flour here)– and yet the recipe is always only enough for 14-15 scones. The glaze on top makes them nice to eat even without clotted cream.

Butterscotch Pecan Scones

Ingredients:
¾ cup cold heavy cream
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
½ cup butterscotch chips
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

For the glaze:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup packed light-brown sugar
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. In a small stainless steel skillet, toast the chopped pecans for about 5 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla extract.
4. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt to mix.
5. Distribute cubed butter over top of the flour mixture and pulse another 5-6 times until butter is pea-sized.
6. Pour the cream-egg mixture on top and pulse 5 times. That’s it.
7. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add butterscotch chips and cooled pecans.
8. Fold together until chips and nuts are evenly distributed but do not overmix.
9. Form into a disk about 7 inches wide and 1 inch tall. Cut into 8 equal wedges Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes.
   • If using a 16-triangle pan, spray the pan with cooking spray. Use a 1 ¾ inch cookie scoop to portion out dough and press into the triangles. The dough should only fill about 14-15 of the 16 places. Bake for 15-16 minutes.
10. For the glaze, while the scones are baking, melt the butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan. Add in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and stir as it bubbles until the brown sugar is dissolved. Remove it from heat and let it cool until it thickens. Drizzle or spoon on top of the scones when they are almost cooled, to avoid the glaze melting off of the scones.

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