Maple Oat Scones with Espresso Glaze

Makes 16 Scones

 

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole-wheat flour (if you use regular whole-wheat it will alter the consistency of the scone)
1 cup old fashion oatmeal, plus more for sprinkling on top
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup real maple syrup (don’t use the fake stuff, only 100% maple syrup or it will change the consistency of the scones)
2 large egg
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup cold unsalted butter (two sticks, 8 oz), cut into 16 chunks
Espresso Schmooey

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh brewed espresso or strong coffee…plus extra to thin the schmooey (you can also use milk to thin the schmooey if you want a more subtle coffee flavor)
1 small drop of maple extract (this stuff is imitation, but it really brings out the maple syrup flavor…trust me on this)
Use milk or cream to thin consistency if desired
To Garnish

3 tablespoons old fashion oats
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

Directions:

 

In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, white whole-wheat flour, oatmeal, baking powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and sea salt.

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, maple syrup and eggs. Set aside.

 

Sprinkle your 16 pieces of cold, cut butter over the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender, two forks or your hands, work the butter into the flour until the butter is the size of peas.

 

If you’re using the pecans, sprinkle them over the top of the flour-butter mixture.

 

Drizzle the cream mixture on top of the flour and, using a fork, start to stir until a ball begins to form.

 

Heavily flour your hands and lightly flour a cutting board (or whatever surface you’re going to use).

 

Dump the scone dough onto the floured cutting board. It should be a loose ball at this point. Separate the dough into four equal-sized balls.

 

Pat each dough ball into a flattened disc, about 1-inch thick. It’s important that the sides of the disc are 90 degree angles.

 

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Give it a light dusting with flour and put the scone discs on the baking sheet. Put the scones in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.

 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and move an oven rack to the top third of the oven, about six inches from the top of the oven.

 

Pull the scones out of the freezer and using a very sharp knife (I use my bread knife) cut each disc into four scones, so that you have 16 scones total. Do not use a see-saw action when cutting your scones.

 

Place the scones on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Make sure you leave 2 healthy inches between each scone.

 

Bake for 16 minutes. Once out of the oven, let rest for about 10-15 minutes in a draft-free area.

 

While they’re cooling, prepare your glaze. Mix all glaze ingredients (powdered sugar, maple syrup, espresso and maple extract) in a medium bowl until completely smooth. Taste and adjust flavor as necessary. If it’s too thick, add more espresso (or milk) to thin it; if it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar.

 

If using the oats and pecans on top, place in a skillet and cook over medium low until toasty and you start to smell the pecans. Don’t let them burn.

 

Place more parchment on top of a cooling rack. Set the scones on the parchment to cool a bit more.

 

Drizzle the schmooey on top and sprinkle with toasted oats and pecans. Scones are best the day you make them, but stored at room temperature in an air-tight container they will last for several days.