Cravings

I have always loved Starbuck's Maple Oat Nut Scone.  Even though there is a Starbuck's in town, we hardly ever go because there are so many unique coffee shops and bakeries in the area.  But every once in a while nothing else will do.

When this happens, it's nice to know that lots of other people feel the same way and have posted copy-cat recipes online.  There are whole sites and cookbooks devoted to recreating the best commercial dishes.  There are lots of versions of this scone online, and part of the challenge is choosing which one to try.  I went with this one.
I only had to pick up a few non-pantry items...heavy cream, pecans, and maple flavoring.  The scones also contain maple syrup, but apparently it doesn't have enough concentration of flavor to get the desired effect.
These scones turned out great--- they're very close to the original.  I made them right before dinner and had to have one right then.  I'm staring at them now, about to have one for breakfast.

Maple Oat Nut Scones

• 1 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cold butter (small pieces)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon maple extract
• 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Maple Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
• 5 teaspoons water

I followed the recipe pretty closely, although I added a little bit of vanilla in with the maple flavoring in both the scones and the glaze.  I also use the food processor for most of the work, which makes it quick and easy.  I have found that there's no reason to laboriously cut in butter by hand in any recipe, including pie crusts; I have always just pulsed it in the Cuisinart and it comes out great. 

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Using a food processor or blender, grind the oats.
3. Add in flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, pulse to blend.
4. Add maple syrup and butter and pulse several times until the butter is incorporated and you have a grainy texture.  Stir in the chopped pecans.
5. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the cream and maple extract.
6. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms.
7. Place dough on a floured surface. Knead and pat dough into a 8 inch circle and cut into 8 wedges.
8. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment. Place wedges on top and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until light brown.
9. Remove scones from oven to wire rack. Let cool at least 5 minutes.
10. Mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Adjust the amount of water to get to the desired consistency. I like the glaze to be rather thick. Spread lots of glaze over each scone and dry about 15 minutes before serving.  Top with chopped pecans or a sprinkle of oats.

Notes:  Don't over-knead the dough, you just want it to come together so you can pat it out.  I like the scones to be thick, so I make sure my circle of dough isn't too big or thin.  My scones only took 13 minutes.  Don't over bake or they'll be dry.   Be sure to lay on a thick layer of glaze; since there are only 2 tbs of sugar in this recipe, the glaze is an important sweetener.  Be sure to let the scones cool a bit before frosting or the glaze will just melt into them.  If you don't eat them fresh from the oven, put them in the microwave for 20 seconds or so.
What I might do differently next time:  I might add a bit more sugar, and a bit more butter.  I will also try to track down natural maple extract, which is hard to find.  I used imitation maple flavor, which is all that was available in the store, and is actually what Starbuck's uses, but I want to try to find the natural stuff.  That's about it!