Maple Pecan Scones

This is a simple recipe that only yields 4 maple pecan scones. Perfect to make a serve in a short amount of time.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

People are out and about and the holiday decorations are everywhere. This also serves as a reminder that if you have not begun your shopping for gifts, then perhaps you really need to get going. It is also the time of year in which holiday parties and get-togethers become a constant blur of sweets, drinks, and delectable treats. And of course it is hard to avoid these regardless of how much you ate prior to going and no matter how much you reminded yourself that you would not over do it because of course every table ironically seems to have that one favorite food that you love and cannot resist even if your life depended on it.

You may also find yourself wearing more glitter and sparkly outfits more days that an few, but if you are anything like me them you really don’t need a particular holiday to wear glitter and sequins…shiny garments are always in style…that is unless you are a woman of a certain age and you are still trying to pull out the glitter eye shadow because lets face it that stuff magnifies every wrinkle and makes it more noticeable and no one wants to bring attention to aging skin.

But I digress…

What may be hard to find this time of year is a quiet moment to yourself. A homemade treat from your oven and a hot cup of tea while sitting with your own thoughts. You own moments like this to yourself because moments like this will make you better, they fill your tank so that you can give to others, and survive all of those holiday parties 😉

Maple Pecan Scones Ingredients for 4 Scones:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into small pieces and chilled)
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans (may be toasted)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
•  1 & 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 Tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions:

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a food processor, pour in the flour, baking powder, salt, and pulse until combined, about 5 seconds. Pour in the chilled butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 6 pulses. It is okay if there are still some lumps of butter. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the chopped pecans using a wooden or rubber spoon.

In a separate container, stir together the heavy cream and maple syrup and then add this to the mixture and combine until the dough begins to come together and form a loose sticky ball. Lightly flour your work surface and turn out the dough and knead until a ball forms (5 to 10 seconds). Shape the ball into a 5-inch round disk and cut the dough into 4 wedges.

Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the tops of the scones are light golden brown about 18 to 20 minutes rotating the sheet halfway through baking. When the scones are finished baking transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to come to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

While the scones are cooling, make the glaze in a small container whisk together the confectioners sugar and maple syrup until smooth. Then drizzle the glaze on the scones and let it set for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

For the Vegan version-substitute the butter for 3 Tablespoons of Earth Balance (vegan butter) and the heavy cream for 1/2 cup of coconut or cashew cream and you may have to adjust the baking time a bit.

Enjoy!

*adapted from America’s Test Kitchen