Pear Scones are a fantastic breakfast treat, but an excellent dessert any time of the day. They are light, fluffy and delicious. Hot scones from the oven are a delicious way to start a cool fall morning. With the addition of cinnamon and pears this becomes the embodiment of fall and the change of the season. Each bite evokes the harvest season, swirling leaves and crisp air.
WHY WE LOVE PEAR SCONES WITH CINNAMON GLAZE
One of the key fruits that make me think fall are delicious pears. Pears come in so many delicious varieties as well. With every bite of a fresh ripe pear you can almost imagine the fall leaves swirling. Scones are a delicious biscuit that is perfect for a fall day.
- Easy to make
- Freeze wonderfully
- Perfect with coffee
Pears are often overlooked when it comes to baking, but they are such a great addition! We love them in pie, cooked down as a cider, or even as a simple cake. So the next time you walk by the pears at the grocery store, buy a few! They need some love too!
WHAT ARE THE BEST PEARS FOR COOKING?
There are many kinds of pears that are typically available in stores. For this recipe we used Anjou Pears. Anjou pears have a great flavor and a firm texture. Ripe Anjous are juicy, so keep your napkins handy! They can be green or red (labeled "Red Anjou"), but the color doesn't indicate any major flavor or texture difference. Either will work for recipes. When selecting your Anjou pears, select ones that feel heavy for their size, with bright, tight skins and relatively firm texture when lightly squeezed with the palm of your hand. Never pinch or poke pears with your fingers to test for ripeness, since it will bruise the fruit. These pears are great for eating alone or for cooking and are available from October through May.
What Is The Difference Between A Biscuit And A Scone?
Both scones and biscuits are made with a base of flour, butter, and a milk fat. Biscuits recipes have more butter and acidity typically from the buttermilk ingredient, which makes them extra fluffy and flaky. Scones are less flaky and more dense due to the heavy cream and eggs. This results in a richer yet more crumbly texture.
A good scone should have a “short” crumbly texture, not a tough, bread-y texture. The gluten (a protein in the flour) is developed when it is made wet and worked by lightly kneading. In both biscuits and scones, you do not want to overwork the dough. You want small clumps of flour coated butter in the cut pastries prior to baking. The butter melts during the baking process and results in an airy, buttery, deliciousness.
Ingredients/Shopping List
- Flour - All Purpose is good here
- Sugar
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Fresh pear
- Ground cinnamon
- Powdered sugar for the glaze
Recommended Tools To Make This Recipe
- Stand mixer - you can use a hand mixer or even just a fork and some elbow grease however
- A large mixing bowl. Your stand mixer bowl is a perfect option here
- A box (cheese) grater - this is a quick hack to get the butter shredded and integrated into the flour
- Pastry cutter
How To make Pear Scones with Cinnamon Glaze
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
- Take a COLD stick of butter (frozen is great!) and using a box grater, grate in the stick of butter into the dry ingredients. (If you do not have a box grater, you can always use a pastry knife, a fork or two butter knives. Just ensure the butter is broken up to pea size pieces or smaller). Alternatively you can shop into one inch cubes and use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter.
- Mix with a fork or pastry cutter until butter is the size of small peas.
- Combine the wet ingredients- heavy cream, egg, vanilla
- Mix the wet with the dry.
- Add in the chopped pear.
- Form dough into a rough ball.
- Form the dough into a rough disk shape and cut into triangles.
- Brush with a little heavy cream to make the scones nice and brown and bake.
- Add a cinnamon glaze to the top of the finished product for a fancy look and delicious taste.
Substitutions and Additions
- Apple Pear Scones-You can mix various kinds of fruit into your scones, try half apple and half pear.
- Walnut Pear Scones-Add some chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts to the mix for a hearty, nutty flavor.
- Maple Scones- You can try a maple glaze if you want to go full holiday on this great treat.
How to store Scones
Store in an airtight container on the counter top for 3 days. If you need to keep your scones fresh longer, consider putting them in the refrigerator in a zip top bag for 4-5 days. Scones can be frozen for up to 3 months. If freezing, do not add glaze until ready to serve. Simply bring to room temperature, then microwave for 30 seconds to heat.
Please feel free to share your experience with making these Pear Scones in the comments below or on social media!
More Scone Recipes You'll Love
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 large pear cored and chopped into ½ in pieces
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet.
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Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon into a large bowl; whisk until combined.
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Take a COLD stick of butter (frozen is great!) and using a box grater, grate in the stick of butter into the dry ingredients.
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Mix with a fork or pastry cutter until the butter is the size of small peas.
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Add the heavy cream, egg, vanilla, and pears chunks. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and begins to form a ball. You may need to use your hands for kneading a bit to knead the pear into the dough.
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Form dough into a rough ball.
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Flour your working surface lightly and turn out the dough. Form the dough into a rough disk shape and cut into triangles.
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Have a cookie sheet with parchment paper ready. Place the triangles on the tray 2 inches apart.
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Brush with a little heavy cream.
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Cook for 18 - 20 min at 400 degrees. Larger scones may take a minute or two extra to finish.
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To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cooled scones.
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Enjoy!
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