Apricot Pecan Scones — The Fancy Little Thing That’s Really Just a Biscuit
If Scones Sound Too Fancy to Try, Start Right Here
If you have never made homemade scones, let these apricot pecan scones be the ones you start with. They are my tried-and-true recipe — I have had it for years and it is my favorite, the one I pull out any time I need something pretty to set on the table. Scones sound really fancy, y’all, but they are honestly just a zhuzhed-up biscuit: cold butter cut into flour, a little sugar, and whatever you want to fold in. One batch makes twenty-four, which is plenty for a brunch, a ladies luncheon, or a tea party with room for seconds.
☕ These are on the menu in my fall brunch menu — a whole brunch for eight to twelve, with the table and the timeline that gets it all on it.
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Watch me make these apricot pecan scones from start to finish — or scroll down for the full printable recipe card.
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Apricot Pecan Scones
Start CookingIngredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup salted butter cold
- ½ cup dried apricots chopped small
- ½ cup pecan halves chopped small
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Don’t Want to Plan? I Got You.Every Saturday I share a full week of dinners, sides, and a dessert — with the grocery list already done. Come grab this week’s Weekly Meal Plans!Equipment
Method Start Cooking
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Slice the cold butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, using a twisting and rolling motion, until the mixture is coarse crumbs. Scrape any butter crumbs off the blender back into the bowl.
- Stir in the chopped apricots and pecans.
- Pour in the heavy whipping cream and stir just until the dough comes together. It will still look crumbly and biscuity, but it will hold together.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flip it once so both sides are floured. Gather it into one mass.
- Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a ball, then flatten into a disc and roll out to a 6-inch circle.
- Cut each circle into 12 wedges for 24 scones. For larger scones, cut each circle into 8 wedges instead.
- Place the scones 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake at 375°F for 13 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Four Weeks of Family-Friendly FoodWhen people gather, I cook. Four weeks of the dinners my crowd asks for — planned, tested, and shopped for. Come see what’s in the cookbook →Why These Apricot Pecan Scones Work
Scones have a reputation for being fussy, and I think that is mostly the word itself. Say “scone” and people picture a bakery case and a pastry chef. But look at what actually goes into these apricot pecan scones and it is a biscuit recipe wearing a nicer dress — flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cold butter, and cream. There is no yeast to proof, no dough to chill overnight, no special technique you do not already have. If you have ever made a pan of biscuits, you can make these today.
What makes them worth having in your back pocket is the occasion they cover. A brunch, a ladies luncheon, a shower, a tea party, a morning when somebody is coming over and you want the table to look like you tried. This one batch of dough splits into two circles and cuts into twenty-four, so you are not standing at the counter making four separate things. The dried apricots and pecans do all the work of looking special, and the whole thing is on the pan in about twenty minutes.
The one thing that trips people up is the dough itself, so I will say it up front: it stays crumbly. Right up until you turn it out onto the floured counter it will look like it is not going to hold together, and that is correct. Scone dough should be barely moistened — King Arthur’s scone baking guide makes the same point, that over-handling is what makes a tough scone. Stir it just until it comes together, get it out on the counter, and let the flour and your hands do the rest.
From there it is two discs rolled out to six-inch circles, and that is the one place a cold pin earns its keep. The butter you just cut into the flour is what makes a scone tender, and a warm pin starts undoing that work the second it touches the dough. I use the marble rolling pin my mama gave me for exactly that reason — stone stays cool, so the butter stays in pieces right up until it hits the oven.
A Few Things That Make Apricot Pecan Scones Even Easier
- Keep the butter cold, and slice it on the wrapper. The measurements are printed right on the butter, so I just cut it on the lines — no measuring cup to wash. Cold butter is the whole trick here. It is what gives you flaky layers instead of a flat, tough scone, so pull it out of the fridge when you are ready for it, not before.
- Use a pastry blender and work the butter chunks specifically. I do sort of a twisting and rolling motion, right on top of the butter pieces, until the whole bowl is coarse crumbs. Then scrape every last butter crumb off the blender and back into the bowl — you do not want to lose any of that.
- Chop the apricots and pecans small. Big chunks make the wedges hard to cut cleanly and they tear the dough when you are shaping it. Small pieces distribute better too, so every scone gets both instead of one lucky wedge getting all the pecans.
- Flip the dough once on the floured counter. Turn it out, flip it over so both sides have flour on them, then gather it into one lump. That one flip is what keeps it from sticking to the rolling pin when you go to roll it into a six-inch circle.
- Cut them smaller than you think. The recipe says eight wedges per circle, which gives you sixteen big scones. I have learned over the years that at a brunch or a tea party, where there are a bunch of other things on the table, the big ones do not get eaten. Some people will not even take one because it looks like too much. Twelve wedges per circle gives you twenty-four, which is right for twelve people with room for seconds.
Apricot Pecan Scones FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
What temperature and how long do I bake apricot pecan scones?
Bake apricot pecan scones at 375°F for 13 to 15 minutes, until they are lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Place them an inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet — they do not spread much, but they need the air around them to brown properly. Start checking at 13 minutes; scones go from perfect to dry faster than you would think.
Can I make apricot pecan scones ahead of time?
Yes, and this is exactly why I keep this recipe. Bake them, cool them completely, then wrap them tightly in freezer wrap. They will keep in the freezer for up to two weeks. That means you can plan a neat little brunch and have the scones already baked and ready to go the day of, which is one less thing standing between you and actually enjoying your own party.
Do I have to brush the tops with cream?
No. A lot of scone recipes call for brushing the tops with a little extra heavy cream before they go in the oven, and I have done it both ways plenty of times. Honestly I do not notice a big difference, so most days I skip it. If you want a slightly deeper golden top, keep a couple of tablespoons of cream back and brush them — it will not hurt a thing.
What can I use instead of dried apricots?
Any dried fruit chopped to about the same size will work — cranberries, cherries, dates, or golden raisins are all good in this dough. I stay with dried apricots because the tartness plays against the pecans and because apricot jam on top is my favorite way to eat them. If you swap the fruit, swap the jam to match and the whole thing still hangs together.
Why is my scone dough so crumbly?
Because it is supposed to be. This is a very biscuity dough and it will look like it is not going to come together right up until you turn it out onto the floured surface. Resist the urge to add more cream. Give it a flip, gather it into one lump with your hands, and it will hold. Adding liquid to fix crumbliness is the fastest way to end up with a heavy scone.
How many scones does this recipe make?
It depends entirely on how you cut it. The dough divides into two six-inch circles, and each circle can go into 8 wedges for 16 large scones, 12 wedges for 24 medium ones, or 16 for 32 small ones. I usually land on 24 — that is perfect for a brunch for twelve and gives everybody a little bit of seconds if they want it. Cool them on a wire rack so the bottoms do not steam.
What do I serve with apricot pecan scones?
I do not put a glaze on these, because they honestly do not need one. My favorite way to eat them is with a little apricot jam spread on a warm one. If I am feeling really extra fancy I will make a Devonshire cream to go alongside, which is easier than it sounds — cream cheese, a spoonful of confectioners’ sugar, a splash of vanilla, and enough cream to make it spreadable. Set out a pot of hot tea and you have a whole thing.
The whole recipe, start to finish, in about half a minute.
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Ingredients
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More Crowd-Pleasing Breakfast and Brunch Recipes You’ll Love
- Lemon Scones — the same idea gone bright and glazed, and the recipe I tried for the very first time on camera.
- Mama’s Banana Bread — the other quick bread I have been making since I was young enough to need a step stool.
- Homemade Biscuits and Gravy — same cold-butter-cut-into-flour idea, dressed way down and served hot.
- French Toast Casserole — assemble it the night before and pull it out of the oven while the scones cool.
- Same-Day Sourdough Dinner Rolls — when you want something from the oven and you have the whole afternoon.
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Apricot Pecan Scones — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.