White Chocolate Macadamia Scones with Browned Butter Glaze

Ok white chocolate macadamia lovers.  You're the ones who can't get your nose out of the vanilla extract.  You eat marshmallows right from the bag. You crave all things butterscotch, caramel, and toffee.  You actually like rice pudding and white oreos.  You'd pass on the brownie, but kill for a blondie... a vanilla bean makes you weak at the knees.  You know who you are.  This scone is for you.  And me. 

I could say that these are the perfect thing to bring to a book club or a bridge game, a shower, tea party, brunch, upscale bake sale, office party, or to use as a teacher bribe gift, But really these are mostly an excuse to wallow in barely melted white chocolate chips, big nuggets of macadamia, and a melt-in-your-mouth vanilla scone, all covered in a sweet glaze flecked with browned butter.

I know that some of you out there aren't scone fans.   I have a non-scone lover lurking in my own family.   I think it's because we Americans don't have a history with scones.  It's only because of Starbucks that we even know what one is.

If you think of scones as dry, and crumbly... stiff upper lip and all, try mine.  I make mine moist and tender and a little bit decadent.  Just a little.  Try one right out of the oven and you'll see what I mean.

White Chocolate Macadamia Scones with Browned Butter Glaze
makes 8
oven to 400
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup almond flour (or substitute regular flour)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

• Pulse all above dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor to combine

1 egg, beaten
cold buttermilk (to make 1 cup)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• Beat the egg in a liquid measuring cup and pour in buttermilk to the 3/4 cup mark
• Add in the vanilla and blend.  Set aside

1 stick, 8 Tbsp, cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces

• Pulse the butter with the dry ingredients in the food processor.  Pulse about 15 times just until the butter is incorporated and the mixture has coarse crumbs.
• Continue to pulse while you slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture, just until the dough comes together.

1 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

• Fold in the white chocolate chips and the nuts.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured board and pat into an 8 or 9 inch disk.  Cut in half, then into eighths.  
• Place the scones onto a silpat or parchment covered baking sheet.  I usually put this into the freezer for about 15 minutes while I clean up, this gives the butter a change to chill and helps the scones rise up light ad fluffy when they hit the hot oven.
• Bake for about 15 minutes.  Don't over bake.  Cool on the pan for a couple of minutes, then on a rack.
• Glaze the scones when cool to the touch.

Browned Butter Glaze
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
milk, half and half or cream to thin

• In a small saute pan, heat the butter and continue heating gently until the milk solids turn brown, stirring occasionally.  Keep an eye on it, you don't want it to burn, but you want to get a nice deep brown color.
• Take the pan off the heat and add the butter to the sugar.  Add just enough milk to thin the glaze to a drizzling consistency.
• Drizzle on the cooled scones.

If you look closely you can see all the little browned butter specks.

  

Have a great weekend!

One year ago today---

Roasted Tilapia with Vegetables en Papillote