Maple Pecan Scones-Danger! Danger!

Somehow a conversation that Philip and I were having yesterday led to a discussion about scones, which led Philip to suggest that we needed to make scones for breakfast today (the first day of my summer break-wooooo!).  I checked the pantry and didn't have any dried fruit (except raisins, and raisins-eh.).  I looked on cookinglight.com and saw a couple of things that looked interesting, especially a recipe that had pecans in it.  However, the pecan recipe made me remember that there is a recipe in my Pioneer Woman cookbook (The Pioneer Woman Cooks) by my favorite blogger on the planet, Ree Drummond (aka Pioneer Woman, aka PW, aka P Dub) for maple pecan scones.  Shut your mouth, Ree.  I've been dying to make them since I got the cookbook a year and a half ago, and yet somehow I never got around to it.  Well, today was the day!

Actually, this recipe is my adaptation of Ree's.  It's not an exact replica.  Maple pecan scones, redux.  You see, the Haymakers do not own a cattle ranch.  More specifically, the Haymakers do not work a cattle ranch, thereby allowing us to consume copious amounts of baked goods and other caloric delights without thought.  Sooooo, a few adjustments were made.  I used some lower-fat ingredients, and cut the recipe in half (that's why there are some strange measurements).  Here's my version!

First, brew a pot of coffee.  You'll need it (for drinking and for icing-making!) later.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Chop up 2 tablespoons of pecans and put them into a hot pan, then stir frequently until toasty and fragrant.  Don't burn them!



Next, measure 3/4 cup of white whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour into a bowl.  Do you know how to measure flour?  Lightly spoon the flour into your measure or scoop the flour, then sweep the top with the flat edge of a knife.  Don't pack the flour into the cup or you'll change the measurement.  I actually prefer to weigh flour for baked goods, but there was no suggested weight here.  Now, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Stir it up!



Okay, here's where we get down to business.  Cut a stick of Land O'Lakes light butter into small cubes (yes, I said a stick.  A whole stick).  Put the butter into the flour and work it in with your fingertips, until there are no chunks of butter left and the mixture resembles wet sand.  *Note* scones are like sweet biscuits!  Yea! * Stir in the pecans, then mix together 2 tablespoons of beaten egg and  1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of fat-free buttermilk.  Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and use a fork to stir until the dough comes together and no dry bits remain in the bottom of your bowl.



Turn the dough out onto a floured surface (I use a glass cutting board).  Turn it over onto itself 4-5 times until you have a soft but not stick dough.  Press out into a 1-inch thick circle, then cut into 8 triangles.  Placed onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat or sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops just begin to brown.



While the scones are in the oven, make the icing.  Weigh 8 ounces of powdered sugar, or measure 2 cups.  Whisk to remove lumps.  Pour in 2 tablespoons of melted (light) butter, 2 tablespoons of milk, a splash of coffee, 1 teaspoon of maple extract, and a pinch of salt.  Whisk until a thinnish icing forms.  When the scones come out of the oven, generously drizzle them with icing, then allow the icing to set.  Waiting gave us time to cook up a little bacon in the microwave and mix up our coffee.




Okay, let me say....these are to die for.  They are so, so good.  I entered the recipe into the recipe calculator at sparkpeople.com, and even with my healthy upgrades, these scones have 292 calories apiece (and these are actually half the size that the original recipe called for)!  Needless to say, they are dessert for breakfast-or for dessert, whatever the case may be, but dessert nonetheless.  Totally dangerous (hence the blog title) but totally worth an occasional risk!  Make them!