Maple Syrup Scones

I have two sweet treats to end up our month of brunching- Maple Sugar Scones today and Cinnamon Sugar Baked Doughnuts tomorrow.  Perfect brunch fare, and both inspired by Heidi at 101 Cookbooks.  She and I are totally on the same wavelength!

I've made maple pecan scones before, which were great, but I was looking for something a little healthier this time.  The original scones were made with white flour, white sugar and maple extract.  These are made with whole wheat pastry flour and pure maple syrup as the only sweetener.

 

Honestly, I didn't miss the white flour or the white sugar.  I loved the taste of the real maple sugar and the crunch of that natural turbinado sugar on top.  These are perfect with a little sweet cream butter spread on top while they're still warm.  These would work for a nice ladies' lunch, snack or tea time, too.  Yum, yum, yum.

 

These went very quickly in our house.  If you have more than two people, I would suggest doubling the recipe.  You can also make an extra batch, shape them, freeze them (before you add the egg wash and sugar) and then pop them in the oven straight from the freezer if you really want scones in a hurry.

So good!

Maple Syrup Scones

only slightly adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1/4 cup real, good quality maple syrup
6 tablespoons milk or cream (I used half milk and half cream)
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (sub all-purpose or half white/half wheat if you can't find it)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
large-grain sugar (for example: turbinado) for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees, rack in the top 1/3. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together the maple syrup and milk in a small cup, and set aside. Combine the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Using a food processor, cut the butter into the flour mixture, pulsing until it resembles little pebbles in a beach of sandy flour (about 20 quick pulses). You can also cut the butter into the flour using a knife and fork, or smushing it through your thumb and fingertips. Now add the maple syrup milk. Pulse (or mix) until the dough just comes together - don't over mix. If the batter is too dry add more cream a bit at a time -you want it to hold together w/o being crumbly.

Turn out onto a floured surface, kneed once or twice, just enough to bring the dough together. Now arrange the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Trim the edges and slice the dough into nine equal-sized squares. Arrange the scones next to one another on the prepared baking sheet - 1/4-inch distance between each of them. Brush generously with the egg wash and sprinkle with the large-grain sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden along the bottom and tops.

Makes 9 scones. 

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