Buttered Pecan Scones

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF and grease a small cookie sheet.
2. In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the pecans. Toast slowly over low heat until they are fragrant. When done, remove from heat and let cool.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons of cold butter and work it into the flour using your hands or a pastry cutter. When the butter is the size of rice grains and is evenly distributed throughout the flour, add the cream. Stir together lightly, then add the buttered pecan mixture. Dump the mixture out onto a floured board and knead no more than 10 times to make the dough come together. Form a 6” long rectangle, cut it in half, then place on the baking sheet 5″ apart. Brush with extra cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake for 15 minutes.