maple pecan scones

ingredients:

scones:

2 cups of all-purpose flour, more for hands and work surface

1/2 cup of maple sugar (substitute brown sugar if you do not have maple sugar)

1/2 tsp of salt

2-1/2 tsps of baking powder

1 stick of unsalted butter, frozen

1/2 cup of heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)

1 large egg

1 tbsp of pure maple syrup

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 cup of chopped pecans, 

1/4 cup of maple cream, for drizzling (substitute a mix of powdered sugar and pure maple syrup if you do not have maple cream)

supplies:

3 mixing bowls and whisks

box grater

Food processor

pastry cutter or 2 forks

large plate

large baking sheet and parchment paper

wire rack

directions:

in a bowl, mix the flour, maple sugar, salt, and baking powder together. using a box grater, grate the frozen butter and add it to the flour mixture. combine with a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture comes together in small crumbs. place the flour/butter mix in the fridge while you mix the wet ingredients together.

in another bowl, mix 1/2 cup of heavy cream, egg, vanilla extract and maple syrup together. remove the flour/butter mix from the fridge and drizzle the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. add the pecans, and mix together until everything appears moistened.

to make the scones, pour the dough on to the counter and work the dough into a ball with your hands (flour your hands as the dough will be sticky). if the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. if it seems too dry, add 1-2 more tbsps of heavy cream. next, press the dough into an round disc (about 8 inches in diameter)and cut 8 wedges. place scones on a large plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, up to overnight. the colder the dough, the less they will spread in the oven, be sure to make time for this!

when ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400 (do not remove the scones from the fridge until they are ready to go into the oven; they shouldn’t sit on the counter while the oven preheats). brush the scones with about 2 tbsps of heavy cream and sprinkle with maple sugar, if desired. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange scones 2-3 inches apart baking sheet.

bake for 23 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. once the scones are finished baking, let cool for about 20 minutes on a wire rack before drizzling with the maple cream.

note: scones can be very hard to make. the key is keeping the dough cold. while making them, if you ever feel the dough is getting warm, pop it in the fridge. after forming my dough into a circle, i popped the dough in the fridge before cutting them. then again in the fridge after i cut them. also, if you think your dough isn’t coming together, it might be too wet (add more flour) or too dry (add a little more heavy cream).