Flaky Maple and Pecan Sourdough Scones (Discard)
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My Flaky Sourdough Maple Pecan Scones pair sourdough discard with toasted pecans, brown sugar, and real maple syrup for buttery scones with a sweet maple glaze. I reach for this simple recipe when I want homemade scones with a crisp edge and tender center.
The maple flavor makes these maple pecan scones a perfect treat with a cup of coffee or tea, especially during the holiday season. For another cozy baked good made with discard, try my Chewy Sourdough Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies.
Quick Look: Sourdough Maple Pecan Scones
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Servings: 8 scones
- Calories: ~498 kcal per scone (based on nutritional panel)
- Cook Method: Baked
- Flavor Profile: Buttery and flaky with crunchy toasted pecans and a rich, sweet maple glaze drizzled on top. The perfect cozy fall morning treat!
- Difficulty: Easy — Simple to mix and shape, ready in just over an hour, and easy to long-ferment overnight!
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Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Maple Pecan Scones
- Buttery, flaky layers: Cold butter tucked into the flour mixture creates the tender texture that makes a good scone memorable, while toasted pecans add a satisfying crunch. For another seasonal scone with a sweet glaze, I make Sourdough Pumpkin Scones.
- A smart use for sourdough discard: This maple pecan scone recipe gives unfed sourdough starter a flavorful second purpose without requiring a separate dough rise. If you’re craving a different add in, try my Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones.
- Flexible for make-ahead baking: I can freeze baked scones or chill shaped scones overnight, then serve them warm with a drizzle of glaze the next day. For another special occasion breakfast bake, try these Sourdough Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
Maple Pecan Scones
- Flour – I use All-purpose flour, but pastry flour would be an excellent substitute for an extra flaky scone.
- Brown Sugar – For a touch of caramel-like sweetness to this fall-flavored scone.
- Baking Powder – This will bring a little lift to our scones! Be sure that it isn’t expired.
- Salt – Any salt will do, but my favorite is Redmond’s Unrefined Fine Sea Salt for extra natural minerals.
- Butter – In order to get light and flaky scones, it is best to use cold or frozen butter.
- Pecans – Roughly chopped for an extra bit of crunch.
- Unfed Sourdough Starter – I prefer using sourdough discard that is no older than a week for sweet recipes like these maple scones.
- Eggs – Adds moisture and brings structure to the scones.
- Vanilla Extract – To enhance all of the fall flavors!
- Heavy Whipping Cream – It’s important to use heavy cream over milk because the thick liquid brings just the right amount of liquid to these scones. Too much liquid and your scones will be flat and dry.
Maple Glaze
- Maple Syrup – The actual star of the glaze! I prefer pure maple syrup for the best flavor.
- Butter – Just a touch to make it glossy and smooth.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – Add a touch more heavy cream to get the perfect glaze consistency.
- Brown Sugar – Brings just a hit of caramel sweetness to the glaze.
- Powdered Sugar – Melts perfectly to create a luscious and smooth glaze.
- Vanilla Extract – Enhances all of the fall favors!
How to Make Maple Pecan Sourdough Scones
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt, and whisk together.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt, and whisk together.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard, egg, heavy cream, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix the scone dough with a rubber spatula until the cream mixture is combined. The dough will be crumbly, but be careful not to overmix the dough.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead the dough for about 30 seconds, then form it into an 8″ disc. Place whole pecans on top of the dough and cut it into 8 equal wedges with a bench scraper or a large knife.
- Place the unbaked scones on a baking tray with parchment paper with space in between them. Chill in the fridge while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees f. Bake the scones for 20-25 minutes, or until the top of the scones are golden brown. Remove and serve warm!
Maple Glaze
- In a small bowl, add the real maple, syrup, melted butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar. Stir until smooth.
- Add about 3/4 cup – 1 cup of powdered sugar, until you reach your desired consistency. Finally, stir in the vanilla extract.
- Use a spoon to drizzle the tops of the scones with the sweet maple glaze.
McKenna’s Helpful Tips
- Keep every ingredient cold: I use cold butter, cold heavy whipping cream, and cold sourdough discard so the butter pieces stay distinct in the dry ingredients. Follow the same cold ingredient principle for Sourdough Pumpkin Scones.
- Mix only until the dough holds together: I use a rubber spatula to bring the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, then stop before the scone dough gets overworked. For another flaky bake that benefits from a light touch, you can make my Sourdough Apple Galette.
- Glaze only after the scones cool slightly: Stir the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until the powdered sugar is smooth, then drizzle the sweet maple glaze over the tops of the scones. For a maple finished fall treat, try this Sourdough Pumpkin Coffee Cake.
How to Store
Store leftover scones in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
To freeze: Once cooled to room temperature, place the maple pecan scones in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Sourdough Maple Pecan Scones FAQs
Can Sourdough Maple Pecan Scones be long fermented, and when should I do that?
Yes. Shape the scones, cover them, and refrigerate them overnight so they can ferment before I bake them normally the following morning. For another scone recipe that can be chilled before baking, try these Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Scones.
Does refrigerating the cut Maple Pecan Sourdough Scones overnight count as long fermentation?
Yes. I count the overnight refrigeration of the cut scones as a slow refrigerator fermentation before baking. Use a similar make ahead approach for Sourdough Gingerbread Scones.
What can I use if I do not have heavy cream for these Maple and Pecan Sourdough Scones?
I use buttermilk or sour cream as a substitute when I do not have heavy whipping cream. Keep the swap measured carefully so the scone dough does not become too wet. For another sour-cream option with a tender crumb, try my Sourdough Coffee Cake.
Can I freeze the Flakey Maple and Pecan Sourdough Scones?
Yes. Cut the scone dough into eight triangles, flash freeze the pieces on a prepared baking sheet for at least one hour, then store them in a freezer safe bag. Bake from frozen with a few additional minutes of bake time, just like with my Apple Cider Sourdough Donut Quick Bread.
If you tried this Sourdough Maple Pecan Scones recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
FULL RECIPE TUTORIAL
Maple Pecan Sourdough Scones Recipe
Yield: 8 scones
Delight in the flavors of autumn with Maple Pecan Sourdough Scones! Lovingly baked to perfection and drizzled with a rich maple glaze, these delicious sourdough scones create a seasonal treat that captures the essence of cozy mornings.
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Ingredients
Maple Pecan Scones
- 280 grams all-purpose flour 2 cups
- 110 grams brown sugar 1/2 cup
- 12 grams baking powder 1 Tablespoon
- 3 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon
- 113 grams unsalted butter, frozen 1/2 cup
- 55 grams pecans, finely chopped 1/2 cup
- 120 grams sourdough discard 1/2 cup
- 1 large egg cold
- 30 grams heavy cream, cold 2 Tablespoons
- 8 grams vanilla extract 2 teaspoons
Maple Glaze
- 32 grams pure maple syrup 2 Tablespoons
- 28 grams unsalted butter, melted 2 Tablespoons
- 45 grams heavy cream 3 Tablespoons
- 25 grams brown sugar 2 Tablespoons
- 130 grams powdered sugar 1 cup
- 4 grams vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
Instructions
Dry Ingredients
- In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt, and whisk together.280 grams all-purpose flour, 110 grams brown sugar, 12 grams baking powder, 3 grams salt
- Grate the frozen butter and add to the flour mixture. Cut in with a pastry cutter or mix with your fingers until the small pieces of butter are coated with flour and create pea-sized coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped pecans.113 grams unsalted butter, frozen, 55 grams pecans, finely chopped
Wet Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cold sourdough discard, cold egg, cold heavy cream, and vanilla extract until smooth.120 grams sourdough discard, 1 large egg, 30 grams heavy cream, cold, 8 grams vanilla extract
Combine
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix the scone dough with a rubber spatula until the cream mixture is combined. The dough will be crumbly with some bites of dry flour. Be careful not to over mix the dough, the flour will be incorporated in the next step.
- Turn out the mixture onto a clean work surface and pat into a rectangle. Then, with a bench scraper, fold the dough in half, then press down to create the large rectangle again. Repeat this 3-4 times. Folding the dough helps to create all of those beautiful flaky layers!
- With your hands, form the dough into an 8″ disc and top the scone dough with whole pecans. Cut the soft dough into 8 equal wedges with a bench scraper or a large knife. Be careful not to slide the bench scraper when cutting the scones! This will close off the dough, which prevents the scones from getting the flaky layers. Simply press straight and pull straight up.
Chill
- Place the unbaked scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a plastic lid and chill them in the fridge for at least 15 minutes while the oven preheats. This plastic lid fits perfectly over my baking sheets!
- Long Ferment: If you prefer to long ferment your sourdough scones for easier digestibility, prepare the sourdough scone dough and store them in the fridge covered overnight and bake them the following day!
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F while the scones chill in the fridge.
- With a pastry brush, top the scones with more heavy cream and sprinkle on a layer of coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake the scones for 17-20 minutes, or until the top of the scones are lightly golden brown. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.
Maple Glaze
- In a small bowl, add the real maple syrup, melted butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar. Stir until smooth.32 grams pure maple syrup, 28 grams unsalted butter, melted, 45 grams heavy cream, 25 grams brown sugar
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.130 grams powdered sugar, 4 grams vanilla extract
- Use a spoon to drizzle the tops of the scones with the sweet maple glaze. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe card was updated on February 24th, 2026.
Recipe Tips
Use cold/frozen butter: To get the most light and flakey crust, you need cold butter! When the butter starts to melt while it is baked, it releases moisture, which creates those flakey layers. If you use room temperature or the butter melts, the scone will be flat and dry. Use cold ingredients: Furthermore, to help keep the butter cool, use as many cold ingredients as possible, like cold eggs, cold heavy cream, cold sourdough discard, etc. Work quickly: As stated above, you don’t want your butter to melt into the dough, so you must work quickly. Chill the dough before baking: Chilling the scones before popping them into the oven gives you the best chance for flakey scones. Variations: If you are craving a little bit more sweetness and bit to your scones, try adding a 1/2 cup of butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips, caramel chips, and chocolate chips!How to Store
Store leftover scones in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To freeze: Once cooled to room temperature, place the maple pecan scones in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Freeze dough: Once you’ve cut the scone dough into 8 triangles flash freeze them on a baking sheet in the freezer for at least 1 hour before storing in a freezer-safe bag. That way they won’t stick together. Bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 323mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 612IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram!
The best scone I have made so far! Delish!
Oh, I am so thrilled to hear that you loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
These are delicious!! Just like all of the other recipes Ive tried from you.
Thank you!!
Do you know the nutrition facts for these?
My first attempt at scones and these were wonderful. I am a seasoned baker but shy away from scones and biscuits for some reason. This was an easy recipe to follow. I refrigerated my cut scones overnight before baking in the AM to take to work with me. I’m not sure if this constitutes them being long fermented or does that need to happen earlier in the process? Anyways, these were absolutely delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them — and what a wonderful idea to bake them fresh in the morning! Refrigerating the cut scones overnight does allow them to ferment slowly in the fridge before baking. Thank you so much for sharing!
Can they be long fermented and if so, when should that be done?
Absolutely! Shape the scones, then cover them and place then in the fridge overnight and allow them to ferment. Bake as normal the following morning!
Have you ever added bacon to make these more savory/sweet blend?
Oh, yum! I haven’t tried it myself, but adding cooked, chopped bacon sounds like it would be delicious! I’d suggest starting with about 4–6 slices of cooked bacon, chopped into small pieces, and gently folding it into the dough before baking. That should give you a nice sweet-and-savory balance without overwhelming the scones.
This is my idea of the perfect scone recipe! I love scones and I loved this recipe. Definitely a keeper!
This means so much – thank you! One of my all-time favorite scones!
I just tried this recipe (literally just 10mins ago) and it is phenomenal!! I went on here just to say THANK YOU!! I did it with walnuts instead of pecans and it’s still amazing. ❤️❤️❤️
Aw, I’m so happy you loved them! Walnuts are a great swap too! So glad these scones were a hit, thank you for sharing!
These recipes are amazing, thank you! I love using my sourdough for as much as I can and I’ve been wanting good scone recipes. I have a question though, the blueberry scones recipe calls for forlding the dough several times but the other recipes don’t. I like the idea of the layers. Is there a reason that isn’t done in the other recipes? Either way, I love them!
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes—thank you! You’re right, the blueberry and chocolate chip scones include folding because it helps create those beautiful layers and pockets for the berries. This is a newer technique that I have been enjoying while making scones and haven’t yet included this tip in my older scone recipes. But even if you just form the dough into a disc and don’t overwork the dough, these scone recipes all create flaky and tender scones. I hope you enjoy them all!
Can I take out the pecans for just maple scones? Would I need to alter rest of recipe in any way?
Sure thing! No need to alter anything else.
Made these scones this morning – they are amazing!! Thank you for your tips for keeping them light and flaky! I substituted 2 T of the butter for 2 T of homemade apple butter; and also substituted 1 tsp of the vanilla for 1/2 tsp of maple flavoring. These will be a new fall favorite! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kathy! Thank you so much for sharing.
These are AMAZING! 10/10
So happy you enjoyed them! Thank you for sharing!
Tried them today with my rye starter discard, spelt flour and coconut blossom sugar instead of brown sugar (and only 70grams)… also I ran out of eggs and made a psyllium husk egg instead 😂 These were sooooo delicious!
Thank you for sharing your substitutions! So glad you enjoyed them.
I’m about four months into my sourdough journey and I’m trying a lot of recipes, bagels and pretzels, English muffins and pizza crust, cookies, and brownies, every kind of loaf you can imagine, and this is my favorite recipe! These are the most incredible, combination of salty, sweet, crispy, but still soft… They are phenomenal. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Hi Jill! What tasty treats it sounds like you’ve been baking! I am tickled to hear that you loved these Sourdough Maple Scones! They never last very long here. Thanks for sharing!
I love this! I’m about 2.5 months into my sourdough journey and trying to make different things. So far I’ve made several sweet and savory breads, bagels, rolls, crackers and pizza dough. The scones are in the oven now. I skipped the chill step by accident because my even was already preheated. Didn’t see the notes until it was too late. I wish it would have said “be sure to chill” in the instruction steps for the slow people like myself!
Thank you for sharing! I will make an adjustment to the recipe to be more clear. Hope you loved them!
These turned out perfect! Gifted some of them to my midwife and the rest were brunch on Saturday! Thanks for posting this. I did end up adding a dash more milk to the dough. It was a little too dry.