Maple Walnut Cranberry Scone Recipe

Golden brown and loaded with cozy fall flavors, these maple walnut cranberry scones will steal the present at your subsequent vacation breakfast or brunch! Flavored with heat spices, brown sugar, and maple extract, these festive scones are prepared quick. Simply you should definitely chill the scone dough for quarter-hour earlier than baking.

Maple Walnut Cranberry Scones

Let’s bake some yummy festive scones right now! As a result of these golden brown bakery-style cranberry scones are essentially the most pleasant deal with to bake in the course of the vacation season. Particularly when attractive ruby pink contemporary cranberries can be found! However in a pinch, you need to use frozen cranberries, too.

I even have three different cranberry scone recipes on my web site:

So what makes THESE maple walnut cranberry scones stand aside from the others? Their cozy and festive taste profile! Heat maple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar give these scones the coziest taste ever. And the addition of crunchy walnuts is a complete dream.

Chilly Butter is King

Earlier than we dive into the elements, let’s talk about an important ingredient in any scone recipe: BUTTER. Extra specifically, chilly butter. Chilly butter is crucial to creating flaky golden brown scones that maintain their form whereas baking.

The easiest way to make sure your butter is chilly sufficient? Freeze your sticks of butter for quarter-hour earlier than including them to the flour combination.

Scone Dough Substances

• All-Function Flour: Maybe an important of all of the dry elements! Ensure to not pack your flour into the measuring cup – both weigh it or frivolously scoop right into a measuring cup. And don’t sub different forms of flour for all-purpose flour.
• Baking Powder: Sure, one entire Tablespoon of baking powder is right! Don’t sub for baking soda, or add any baking soda in any respect. Baking powder offers elevate, baking soda spreads, which isn’t what we wish for this recipe.
• Brown Sugar: I favor utilizing mild brown sugar, however in a pinch, darkish brown sugar will work. You’ll be able to even use granulated sugar as an alternative, however be aware they are going to be much less flavorful and golden brown in colour.
• Spices: Floor cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt all improve the flavour of our scone dough.
• Chilly Butter: Unsalted butter works greatest, however salted will work in a pinch. Merely omit the salt referred to as for within the scone dough recipe.
• Walnuts: Pecans make a tremendous substitute right here! Or be at liberty to omit the nuts fully for a nut-free deal with.
• Cranberries: Contemporary or frozen cranberries will work, however contemporary work greatest.
• Heavy Cream: Aka whipping cream. Don’t use milk or half and half as an alternative.
• Egg Yolks: For the flakiest scones, we use the yolks solely, because the egg white creates a extra biscuit like texture! Ensure your egg yolks are chilly.
• Extracts: For much more taste, we’ll add vanilla extract AND maple extract to the scone dough. These are each elective, be at liberty to go away one or the opposite out if desired.

Make the Scone Dough

• Scone Prep: Earlier than you begin making the scone dough, preheat your oven to 425 levels. Then line a big baking sheet with parchment paper and set the ready baking sheet apart. Now you’re able to make the scone dough!
• Mix the Dry Substances: In a big bowl, mix the spices, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Add the Chilly Butter: Use a pastry blender lower in butter till the combination resembles coarse crumbs. You wish to cease mixing when chunks of butter aren’t any massive than hazelnuts and no smaller than peas. 
• Mix the Moist Substances: Whisk collectively the moist elements till they’re properly mixed. Then pour the liquid combination into the flour combination.
• Add the Combine-Ins: Into the stomach of the moist elements, add the cranberries and walnuts. Then use a spatula to stir all the things collectively till simply moistened. And don’t fear if the dough appears too dry right here.
• Knead the Dough: Pour the scone dough out onto a frivolously floured floor and knead the dough till it comes collectively. This would possibly take a couple of minutes, so be affected person and keep away from the urge so as to add extra liquid.

Form and Reduce the Scone Dough

• As soon as the scone dough has come collectively, press it right into a flat circle and form it into an 8-inch disc. 
• Reduce the disc into 8 even wedges and thoroughly switch them to the ready baking sheet. Place every scone about 2-inches aside, to make room for spreading.

Chill for 15 Minutes

For the tallest and flakiest scones, you should definitely chill the dough for no less than quarter-hour, or as much as half-hour, which is the perfect. This brief burst within the fridge helps the butter agency up once more. And the flour combination to relax and take up a number of the liquid elements. Belief me, it’s well worth the wait!

Let’s Speak Egg Wash

To make an egg wash, you’ll want 2 easy elements: 1 massive egg and 1 teaspoon water. The explanation we brush our scones with egg wash is to encourage browning. So if gorgeously golden brown scones are necessary to you, don’t skip this step. Baking with out the egg wash will yield a paler, albeit nonetheless scrumptious, scone.

I additionally counsel sprinkling the scones with glowing sugar! You’ll do that proper after you sweep them with the egg wash, which ensures the sugar sticks to the scones. Glowing sugar makes these cranberry scones additional candy and beautiful!

Drizzle with Maple Glaze

The maple glaze is one other tremendous simple step. And solely requires 3 elements: confectioners’ sugar, pure maple syrup, and milk. These scones are usually not overly candy, so this glaze is a welcome addition and amplifies their taste. I don’t counsel skipping it, however be at liberty to experiment for those who should!