Spiced Pear Scones

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Mouthwatering Pear Scones are studded with spices, sweet pears, and have a tasty spiced glaze on top.

You may know that I am queen of the scones but it wasn’t always that way.  For years I disliked scones because I found them to be hard and dry.  Little did I know that a good scone is full of flavor and has a delicate crumb.

I’ve made both sweet and savory scones.   One of my favorite sweet scones are my Strawberry Jam Scones.   In the winter I enjoy the Orange Cream Scones with a sweet orange glaze on top.  I can’t forget my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones which are fabulous for fall.

I said I also make savory scones and I wasn’t lying!  Zucchini Cheddar Scones are perfect for an afternoon snack.  Then we have Apple Cheddar Scones which are great for brunches.  I adore these Gruyere Prosciutto Scones.

What are scones?

Scones are small, baked pastries that originated in Scotland. Usually they are lightly sweetened but they can also be savory.  Scones can be made with a variety of ingredients, such as flour, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and baking powder, and can be flavored with fruits, nuts, or chocolate chips.  They are usually round or triangular in shape and have a crumbly texture and a lightly sweetened taste.  They are often served with butter, jam, or clotted cream.

So the other night I was running around looking for something to use in my scones.  My eyes landed on the nice, juicy pears I just bought and I knew they had to go in the scones!

I wanted to spice them up so I added cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger to give it a big fall flavor.

Can I use other spices?

You can use whatever combination of spices you would like.  The most recent time I made these scones I used cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.   Other good spices to use are ginger, cardamom, or cloves.

Ingredients:

• butter (I like to use salted but you can use unsalted if you would like)
• brown sugar (I like the caramel flavor it adds but you can use granulated sugar)
• egg
• vanilla extract (you could also use a cinnamon or almond extract)
• cinnamon (I like a fragrant cinnamon with a deep flavor)
• fresh ginger (you can use ground ginger in a pinch)
• cardamom
• all purpose flour (You can also use half all purpose and half whole wheat)
• baking powder
• salt
• milk (we use whole milk but plant based milk would work as well)
• pears (use your favorite type-I used Bosc)

Now the way these scones are made is not how I traditionally make scones.  There’s no cold butter chopped up and mixed into the flour mixture.  Everything is made more like a cake or cookie recipe where everything is mixed together to form the dough.

To make the scones cream together the butter and sugar in a medium bowl.  Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well.   Stir in the spices and mix.

In another medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix well.  Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Add in the milk and mix until just combined.  Add the remaining flour and just until a soft dough forms.

Gently fold the pears into the dough.  Form a ball with the dough and place it on a cutting board. Form the dough into a disc that is 3/4 inch tall.

What type of pears should I use?

You can use whatever type of pears you usually eat.  I tend to go for Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou pears whenever I am baking so those are all safe choices.

Use a pizza cutter or a chef’s knife and cut the dough rough into 8 pieces.  Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.

Bake the scones for 18-20 minutes or until they begin getting golden brown.  Sprinkle the tops of the scones with sanding sugar if desired.

Mix together the ingredients for the glaze.  Drizzle over top of the scones and allow the glaze to harden for 15 minutes.

How do you store these scones?

Store the scones in an air tight container on the counter for up to 5 days. 

I’m pretty sure these are the best scones I’ve ever eaten!  Seriously.  They weren’t heavy and dense like many scones are. 

They were crunchy on the outside but surprisingly soft and fluffy on the inside.  The pears added a sweetness and the spices really came through.  The best part was the cinnamon drizzle on top!

These scones are great with a hot beverage.  A Warm Golden Ginger Drink is full of spices and pairs nicely with the scones.  My personal favorite is a Homemade Caramel Macchiato.  If you want to go the traditional afternoon tea route then this Russian Tea is the perfect option.

Spiced Pear Scones

Delicious spiced pear scones with a tasty sweet and spiced cinnamon glaze.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 scones

Author: Hezzi-D

Ingredients

For the scones:

• 1 stick butter softened
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 pear peeled and diced

For the glaze:

• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a medium bowl cream the butter and brown sugar.  Add in the egg and mix well.  Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.
• In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add half of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix well.
• Add the milk to the mixture and mix well.  Add in the remaining flour and mix until a soft dough forms.  Gently stir in the pears.
• Form the dough into a ball.  Place on a cutting board and flatten into a disc shape about 3/4 inch thick.
• Using a pizza cutter, slice into 8 wedges.  Place the wedges on a baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool.
• In a bowl combine the powdered sugar, milk, and cinnamon.  Mix well.  Drizzle over top of the cooled scones.

Notes

A Hezzi-D Original recipe