Maple Oat Scones

Recipe Rating ***

I love the start of fall.  Summer begins to give way to a smokey, crisp feeling in the air. I have already decorated the house in its fall attire and have the invigorating scent of Yankee Candle's "Harvest" burning.  One flavor I always associate with the coziness of fall is maple!  I searched through my many cookbooks to find a recipe that would suit the mood.  Again, Ina Garten won the prize!  I couldn't resist the sound of her Maple Oat Scones and the yummy picture she had displayed next to the recipe (taken from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook).  

I gathered the recipe ingredients and ran into my first little snag.  The recipe calls for buttermilk.  As someone who does not make a habit of stocking my fridge with buttermilk on a regular basis, I couldn't bring myself to make the purchase.  Lucky for me, I found instructions for making a buttermilk substitute in The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.  This is the place you should turn for all your cooking questions!  A substitute for a half cup of buttermilk: half cup of milk mixed with a half tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice.  Perfect!  I had milk (2%) and vinegar in stock!

The second little snag I ran into was the rolling and cutting of the dough.  I enjoy baking, but I cook far more often.  So, I have not mastered the art of rolling and cutting dough (and it IS and art)!  But, I gave it the old college try and it was...

a disaster!!!

I came very close to forfeiting the entire project!  But, after a few deep breaths and some positive self talk I decided to be resourceful :)  I put the rolling pin away, dug into my Italian roots, and made maple oat meatballs!  I know this sounds strange, but follow me here.  

I found that rolling the dough like a meatball and squishing it down like a hamburger yielded the same results as would rolling and cutting.   

I would HIGHLY recommend this method unless you are more than the "everyday" baker! Don't forget to flour your hands throughout the process. The dough is sticky and attaches itself to every inch of your hands without the use of flour.  

Lastly, one little tip from the Barefoot Contessa that I found true through my own test.  The thickness of your glaze is dependent on how long you allowed the scones to cool after baking.  The cooler the scones, the thicker the glaze.  I allowed my first batch of scones to cool five minutes and the second batch an hour prior to glazing.  I liked the the look of thinner glaze, but I think this is a personal preference.  

Everyday Cooking Takeaways:

• Rather than buy an entire carton of butter milk (only to use a small portion), use a substitute (see above)
• Rolling and cutting is not necessary when making scones
• Scone temperature effects glaze thickness

Happy Baking!

Maple Oat Scones

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Makes 12-14 large scones

Scone Ingredients: 

3 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling on top

2 tbs baking powder

2 tbs granulated sugar

2 tsp salt

1lb cold, unsalted butter (chopped)

½ cup cold buttermilk (or buttermilk substitute)

½ cup pure maple syrup

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 egg beaten with 1 tbs milk for egg wash

Glaze Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

½ cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. With electric mixer, combine flours, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt. 

3. On low speed, mix in butter until dough is clumpy.

4. Combine buttermilk (or substitute), maple, syrup, and eggs in a separate bowl.  Then, quickly add to the flour mixture until just combined. 

5. With floured hands, roll dough like a meatball and squish flat onto a greased cookie sheet (may use parchment paper or Silpat instead). Should be able to fit 6 on each sheet. 

6. Brush the tops of the flattened dough with eggwash. 

7. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the tops are crisp and brown.  

8. To make glaze, whisk together confectioners' sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When scones have cool, drizzle glaze on top of each scone and sprinkle scones with remaining oats.  

Do you know any tricks for making the rolling and cutting process easier?   I would love your help!