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Every season has its treasures. Pears are right up there at the top of the fall list for me. And you can add these Chai Pear Scones to the blessings of the season. Tender, flaky scones with sweet bits of pear and lovely warm spices, similar to the blend you find in chai tea.
Pears, though flavorful on their own, really benefit from the boost these warm spicy notes add to these scones.
What pears to use?
I used a Bosc-type pear, but any pear you have will be great. Generally speaking, pears do not ripen on the tree, and when kept in cold storage, they stay fairly green for a while. Once you bring them out to room temperature, they will sweeten up and get juicier. Unless you plan to eat them right away, it’s best to buy pears that are very firm and at least partly green. Once they get to the perfect stage of ripeness, they can go downhill quickly. But, if your pears got a little past perfection, never fear. Over-ripe pears are perfect for baking.
I have more pear recipes
Perhaps you have a lot of over-ripe pears. In that case, in addition to these Chai Pear Scones, maybe you’d like to try Chablis Pear Crisp? Or Upside Down Ginger Pear Cake? Or both – you could make both! 
You are going to need about a cup of diced pear – one or two pears, depending on the size. If your pears are on the ripe side, make sure your knife is nice and sharp. Otherwise, you could end up with mushed pears rather than diced.
Scones are made by what is referred to as the “biscuit method”, which is when you combine dry ingredients with a fat – in this case, butter, and then add a liquid, stirring gently, as little as possible, to keep the scones from being tough, instead of flaky. It takes a little practice to get this just right, but once you see how it goes, it is going to make a lot of recipes better. Chive Scones use this same biscuit method and the biscuit crust for Chicken Pot Pie does too.
Let’s make some Chai Pear Scones!
Chai Pear Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tea bag black tea, rubbed between finger until powdery
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
- 4 ounces well chilled butter, cut into small cubes you can cube up the butter at the start and put it in the freezer so it stays cold.
- 1 cup diced pear
- 1 cup very cold buttermilk [shake well before measuring] whole milk with a tablespoon of lemon juiceis a good substitute.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a heavy baking sheet with parchment, or oil the 12 spots where the scones will go.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Use a pastry cutter or two table knives to cut in the butter - it should resemble coarse crumbs - some little bits of butter should still be visible.
- Taking care not to over-mix, fold in the diced pear and the buttermilk.
- Spread a bit of flour on your work surface, and scrape dough out on top. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, and flour your hands.
- Gently pat the dough into a rectangle, about 6 by 8 inches, squaring edges and corners so they will be nice and straight.
- Use a bench scraper or long knife to cut into 12 squares, making 3 cuts along the 8 inch side and 2 along the 6 inch side. You can also cut them with a round biscuit cutter, or cut in triangles.
- Place on the sheet and brush the tops lightly with buttermilk, for a nicely browned, glossy top.
- Bake for 18 minutes or so, until done and nicely browned. Cool on a rack.
Notes
Nutrition
They are best served warm and can be reheated in the oven, wrapped in foil
We love them with butter, jam, applesauce, or a combination, but even plain, they are rich and satisfying.Enjoy!
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Normally I don’t leave comments, but I have made two batches of these scones this evening and they were gone just after they cooled. These are absurdly divine. Not to sweet and they bake up beautifully. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Thanks for letting me know – so glad that you have enjoyed them!
These scones are amazing! I ate 3 of them at once and sent the rest to work with my boyfriend
Thanks for letting me know Cassie – so glad you enjoyed them!
These are in the oven now! Look amazing so far. I subbed coconut oil for butter, white whole wheat pastry flour instead of the AP, and also used coconut milk with a little apple cider vinegar instead of dairy milk.
So you didn’t make these. Not the same recipe with all the changes
That’s ok – I don’t mind if people riff on my recipes. It keeps life interesting! 😊
Saw this recipe on Pinterest the other day, and just made these this morning. Thy’re some of the best scones I have ever had. Thanks for a great recipe!
Macy, I am very glad to hear that!
These are exactly as you described and we really really enjoyed them. My partner says they’ll try apple with this recipe too. Thank you for another good recipe.
Really glad to hear that you all enjoyed them, Owen!
These had a really nice flavor and we enjoyed them enough to make another batch this past weekend. Very nice recipe!
Thanks for coming back to tell me, Mary Pat – really happy that you like the recipe.
I made these last weekend and they were a hit. Even the reheated leftovers this morning were still very tasty. Great recipe!
thank you!
These could not be more perfect – we LOVED them!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed them!