Back in the day I used to feel a bit iffy about scones. Most recipes I tried produced kind of wannabe biscuits that were always too dry and completely lacking in the flavor department. To me, there cannot be a worse start to a morning than when you actually make the (sometimes considerable) effort and sacrifice to get out of bed earlier just so you can make something great, from scratch, for breakfast, only to end up chewing on a piece of dry something that doesn’t taste like anything.
So, I decided to find out if I could develop a recipe for breakfast scones that would be unfailingly tasty, with the perfect combination of soft fluffiness on the inside and a nice little crunch on the outside. This recipe gives you just that, and these scones will never turn out too dry. The ingredients are also easily customizable. If you love honey, for instance, go ahead and replace the maple syrup with the same amount of honey. Adding cinnamon would work too, but personally I don’t want to overpower the delicate apple and maple flavors.
Maple syrup and apples really are a match made in heaven. The apples give the scones a lovely texture and a fruity vibe, and the maple syrup adds a natural earthy sweetness without being too sugary. For some reason I love the fact that there is no white sugar in these babies at all. Makes them feel healthier. Cream cheese, lots of it, is my go-to condiment for these scones, and for some reason raspberry jam also tastes incredibly good with them.
As these scones are also very fast to whip up since you can bake them straight form the bowl, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t make your morning a bit sweeter next weekend or even tomorrow. They make a perfect evening snack as well!
Here’s how to make these easy bundles of fruity deliciousness:
Ingredients
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ stick butter
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 small apple
1 egg yolk and some milk for glaze
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Dice up the apple.
2. Cut cold butter into small pieces and rub into the flour mix with your fingers until you have a texture resembling a coarse meal. Work quickly, you don’t want the butter to melt. Pea-size crumbs are fine.
3. Add yoghurt, maple syrup and brown sugar and mix just until the ingredients are combined.
4. Gently fold in the apples and mix only until they are distributed evenly in the batter.
5. Flour a baking surface lightly and roll the dough out into a round shape roughly 1 inch thick.
6. Using a biscuit cutter or a drinking glass, cut out pieces by pushing straight down through the dough. Reform leftover dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting until you have no dough left.
7. Place all pieces on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and brush with the egg yolk that has been lightly whisked with a tablespoon of milk.
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops of scones are golden brown.
9. Enjoy while still warm, with cream cheese and jam.