You already know I love baking cookies, but I also love to bake tons of other goodies (like pies and tarts—coming soon in my new cookbook!). And nothing says “autumn” quite like my Brown Butter Maple Glazed Scones recipe! Combine the warmth and sweetness of pure maple syrup and toasty brown butter in the glaze and you have the makings of the perfect fall treat. Serve with a hot cup of coffee or warm apple cider to make it even more amazing.
What’s the secret to working with scone dough?
Pro tip #1: do NOT overwork the dough!
Remember not to overwork your scone dough. Overworking the dough makes tough scones. The secret to a delicious, tender scone is using very small pieces of cold butter that can be evenly dispersed into the dough. As the scones bake, that butter melts to create the scones’ distinctive flaky texture! We’ll achieve that by shredding the butter. Yep, read on.
Pro tip #2: Freeze the butter and shred it with a box grater.
To get the perfect texture, freeze sticks of butter, then use a box grater to make shaved butter. This method works great when you have to work small butter pieces into any type of dough… scones included! A stick of butter takes about 6-7 hours to freeze (from room temperature), so make sure to pop it in the freezer ahead of time. You’ll need one stick of butter to make one batch of scones.
Mary’s Brown Butter Maple Glazed Scones Recipe
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces—one standard stick) unsalted butter, frozen and grated with a box grater
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons Mary's Cognac Barrel-aged Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup to ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon Mary's Cognac Barrel-aged Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- About 6 hours before you’re ready to start making scones, pop a stick of butter into your freezer.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
- Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into small shavings. You can shave the butter directly into the bowl with the flour mixture. Using your hands, gently toss the butter with the flour.
- In a separate bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, mix until just combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to gently bring the dough together, then pat it out into a round disk about one inch high.
- Cut the dough into 8 wedges. Use a flat spatula to lift the wedges up and place on the prepared pan. Make sure each scone has at least an inch or two of space around it since they will expand as they bake.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the top of each scone with the cream or half and half. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until puffed and a light golden brown color.
- While the scones are baking, you can prepare your glaze. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pro tip: Use a light colored pan so you can better see when the butter turns to a brown color!
- Cook the butter on low heat until it begins to brown and has a toasty aroma (about 3 minutes). The butter will begin to foam, then subside as it turns to a toasty brown color. Use a heat resistant spatula or a wooden spoon to stir the butter if needed.
- When the butter browns, take it off the heat and add the maple syrup, ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir to combine. If the glaze seems too thin, simply stir in some additional confectioners’ sugar.
- Remove the baked scones from the oven. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack placed on top of a piece of parchment paper or paper towel.
- In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle the top of the scones with the brown butter maple glaze, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. The parchment paper or paper towel will catch any drips, making clean-up quick and easy!
