Maple Pecan Scones
Maple season has finally started. Thank goodness, because I am all out of my father’s maple syrup. I actually had to buy a bottle of maple syrup at the grocery store to make these.
I do miss living close to my parents and popping over to their house during maple season. The smell of boiling maple water is intoxicating. And having that first sip of freshly made, piping hot maple syrup is the best. Good thing we will be heading up north again soon. My kids love being at the sugar house. And my daughter is looking forward to seeing some snow again. After spending the past week in flip flops, I sure don’t look forward to packing all our winter gear.
Don’t tell my dad, but the maple syrup at the grocery store was actually pretty good. I’ve been making a lot of waffles lately and the kids have been slathering them with maple syrup. They have been fortunate enough to have grown up on grandpapa’s maple syrup. They have no idea who Aunt Jemima is.
I based this recipe off my Cranberry Ginger Scones. I really love the texture the quick oats give the scones and I love how the brushed on milk gives it a nice golden color. I just replaced the honey with maple syrup and the dried cranberries and ginger chips with pecans and white chocolate chips.
For the glaze I swapped out vanilla extract for some maple extract and sprinkled a few more chopped pecans on top. I got a little lazy and didn’t place the scones on the cooling rack to drizzle on the glaze, I just did it on a sheet of waxed paper. Less to clean up.
The scones came out with just the right amount of sweetness, they are not super sweet like a dessert. They are perfect for breakfast or snack with a nice cup of coffee. The pecans give them a nice crunch and the cinnamon adds a punch of spice.
Maple Pecan Scones
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 13-15 minutes
Keywords: bake breakfast snack maple syrup cinnamon quick oats pecans scones American spring
Ingredients (12 scones)
For the scones
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 6 tablespoons cold butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
For the topping
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon maple essence/extract
Instructions
For the scones
Preheat oven to 425° F.
In a stand mixer, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, oats, pecans, and white chocolate chips.
Cut up butter and add to flour mixture, mixing on low speed for 1 minute.
In a small bowl mix egg and milk until blended and add to the flour mixture.
Then add maple syrup and mix on low speed until fully incorporated. The batter will be a dough like consistency.
With a large scoop, place dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Do not flatten.
For the topping
Brush the tops and sides of each scone with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and carefully place scones on cooling rack with wax paper underneath. (Scones will be extra hot due to the sugar.)
For the glaze
In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and maple essence/extract until smooth.
Using the whisk, drizzle the scones with as much or as little glaze as you prefer.
Grab a cup of coffee. Dunk, eat, and enjoy!
Tomato Soup
Yesterday, I was working at Starbucks (Freelancers Central) when a lady standing by the doors tipped over into a drug-induced trance.
The baristas immediately called 9-1-1, but the woman sitting next to me, the one who’d seen the whole incident go down because she’d been standing outside making a phone call when it happened, just shook her head and informed me that the lady was ‘as high as a kite.’
Now that’s a feeling I can relate to. That world-weariness. After all, I had gone to school in the most psychedelic college town in the country (Berkeley), and lived in what is probably the most homeless-friendly big city in the WORLD (San Francisco). I’ve seen it all—so what if I’m only 26?—all the different variations of drug-induced catatonia and rants and everything in between.
This old man with white hair, he’s a regular who just hangs out in the cafe all day chatting with other regulars (except me, because I avoid eye contact with strangers, much in the style of Amelie Poulain), leapt up from his seat and raced outside, wanting to take charge of the situation. He reminded me of one of those alert guard dogs, the kind that’s been bred to inspect signs of disorder, and cleared aside the small crowd that had gathered around the woman to get a closer look.
He re-entered the cafe a few minutes later. “She’s on drugs,” he said disgustedly.
A few minutes later, the lady dizzily pushed herself up and teetered away. “She’s only on drugs,” Mr. Regular repeated, shaking his head.
This was when the firemen rushed onto the scene. They pulled up in their shiny truck with their sirens blaring, and parked gracefully into the empty space in front of the building that just happened to be big enough for one regular-sized fire truck.
“Did they need to bring so many men?” the woman beside me asked. Sure enough, five firemen stepped out, clad in their heavy protective gear. Men who meant business. Men who looked like they were ready to put out a fire.
“She doesn’t need firemen,” said Regular Man. “She needs to be slapped in the face and drenched with tomato soup!”
Tomato soup, now that’s an idea.
Did he mean what he said sadistically? Was he implying that the lady should be burned with a hot, acidic liquid as a sort of punishment? Or maybe he thought it would revivify her, the equivalent of pushing her into a molten pool. Or maybe he just wanted tomato soup for dinner and had made a Freudian slip.
Whatever the case, guessing does not change the fact: these are the kinds of moments that can inspire meals. I’m very easily persuaded, and I happen to really like tomato soup.
This recipe is one I’ve been making since my student days, so you can be sure that it’s low-maintenance. And it came in handy during my time in San Francisco, a city whose 365-days-per-year fog and gloom is enough to drive a person mad. You see, you need a soup as heartening as this to keep your spirits up, lest you succumb to drastic measures. Like quitting your job and chasing summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Well, that latter part was unintentional.
I don’t remember how I came upon this recipe anymore. I copied it long ago into a little pocket notebook that I have on me at all times—we all have one of these, I suspect—and have been faithfully following the same set of directions for a long time. I’m sure its source is not as obscure as I make it seem, but I prefer to keep it a mystery, for the sake of having a “family recipe” that I can pass down for generations. Or not. I don’t think that far ahead. (But it would be cool nonetheless.)
TOMATO SOUP
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 28-ounce can of chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt & ground pepper to taste
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 small carrots, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped basil
- 1/4 cup cream or milk, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Strain tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with about 1 Tbsp olive oil. Roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.
In a saucepan, heat the rest of the oil on medium-low heat. Add celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes, reserved juices, chicken broth, and bay leaves. Simmer until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream if using. Puree with an immersion blender.