Monday, March 23, 2009

Nutty Breakfast Scones






Chris is off in Boston attending Photoshop World this week, which means I am left to my own devices for seven whole days. Usually this would mean some wild experimentation in the kitchen with no witnesses. However, without an extra set of hands, and his trusted photographic genius I feel less than compelled to cook. Sad, I know. But before he left this Saturday I did whip up some pretty little breakfast scones. I was able to use some of the miscellaneous stuff in my fridge from recipes earlier in the week and they were delicious, if I do say so myself. I used a basic Maple Scone recipe from Heidi at 101 cookbooks and just went nuts, literally. I will try and pull myself together and post some great content this week despite the absence of my better half. Give me a break, sometimes we all need a little down time.

Chris and I decided that these were best with some local blackberry jam and a glass of soymilk, but we also liked a drizzle of honey and fresh strawberries. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 ¼ c. whole wheat flour
¾ c. mixed nuts * I used almonds, pecans, and walnuts
½ c. rolled oats
¼ flax seeds
½ c. Real maple syrup *I like the darker grade B
6 tbl Buttermilk *You could use regular milk, soy, or even almond/oat milk
6 tbl butter chilled
5 tbl unsweetened apple sauce * You could use low-fat plain, or vanilla yogurt
1 ½ tbl baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg slightly beaten
Pinch of salt
* For toasting nut mixture, 1 tbl butter, , 1 tbl brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with baking paper.

1. Toast your nuts in a large non stick pan with a little bit of butter and a dash of cinnamon and brown sugar until they are fragrant. (I used a nut mixture left over from an earlier recipe). In food processor chop your nut mix until there is a good mix of large and small pieces including some very fine flour, about 5-8 quick pulses. Set aside in another bowl.
2. In food processor combine flour, baking powder, salt, and flax seeds with butter pulse until it forms small pearls
3. Wisk together maple syrup, buttermilk, applesauce, and vanilla extract slowly add wet ingredients to the flour and butter pearls. Mix by hand until a dough forms, do not over mix! Knead it one or twice, you want the batter to hold shape without crumbling or sticking add a little flour/buttermilk until dough holds together and handles easily.
4. You can either hand shape the individual scones or manipulate dough into a slab of consistent thickness and cut a desired size and shape for the scones.
5. Arrange scones on the lined baking sheet and brush with 1 egg lightly beaten to give them that beautiful golden brown hue. You can sprinkle a little bit of oats, nuts, or large grain sugar on top for a nice presentation.
6. Bake for 20 min. or until golden brown on top and around the edges.

Notes:
Makes 12 petite scones
Serve with honey and fresh berries, jam with butter, or a little nut butter!
This recipe is really basic with a lot of things you can add in or substitute; which is exactly why I chose it! I had leftover nuts, a little buttermilk and a limited supply of butter and eggs.